DictionaryAI

serving

SaySUR-ving/ˈsɝvɪŋ/UK/ˈsɜːvɪŋ/

Noun pluralservings

5 meanings of serving

Practice

  1. 1
    giving outverb
    Present participle and gerund of serve.

    He was serving on the city council when the new rules took effect.

    They are serving a three-course meal at the restaurant tonight.

    UsageSay serving on a council or jury. When naming people being served, use a direct object: serving the guests, without of.

    Note

    It carries every meaning of serve, from worship and employment to waiting at table and the archaic "treat someone in a given way." It appears in continuous tenses (they are serving a three-course meal) and in set uses such as serving on a council or jury; the people served follow directly, with no of: serving the guests.

  2. 2
    one helpingnouncountable
    The portion of food or drink regarded as right for one person at a single sitting, especially at a meal.

    A single serving of pasta is smaller than most people expect.

    The nutrition label lists the calories in two servings rather than one.

    UsageSay a serving of rice, and per serving on labels; a recipe makes four servings.

    Similarhelping

  3. 3
    nouncountable or uncountable
    The giving out of food and drink to people, especially at a meal, or one occasion or sitting at which this is done.

    The serving of the main course was delayed by a backup in the kitchen.

    Volunteers took charge of the serving so the hosts could sit down and eat with their guests.

    UsageUsually the serving of + food or drink (the serving of lunch). For an amount, a serving means a portion.

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    nouncountable
    A fraction or share of a larger whole.

    The new season delivers a generous serving of mystery, with a few laughs mixed in along the way.

    Each episode gives viewers only a small serving of the larger story, so the plot unfolds slowly over the year.

    UsageUsually a serving of something that is not food, often with generous, small or big: a generous serving of mystery.

    Similarshare, portion, part, slice, cut

    Note

    The portion sense carried away from the table, to shares of things that are not food at all. Wayne Jancik's The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders (1990) has bands struggling to steal "even a slight serving of the nation's auditory attention." The image of a plate for one stays faintly in view, so the word suits a share that is handed out or grabbed, whether slight or generous.

  2. 5
    noun
    A protective layer of yarn, tape, or small cord wound around the outside of a rope or an electrical cable.

serving is a form of serve

serve, verb: To do the duties of a job, office, or public role, such as holding office or sitting on a jury. Full entry

Forms
serveserves he/she/itserving -ing formserved past tense, past participle
Spelling
serve → serving: drop the e, add -ing

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of serving apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Formed from the verb "serve" combined with the suffix "-ing".

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 1 fact