/sɜːv/, /sɝv/, /sɑː(ɹ)v/
OriginFrom Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin serviō (“be a slave; serve”), from Latin servus (“slave; servant”), which perhaps derives from Etruscan (compare Etruscan proper names 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌉 (servi), 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌄 (serve)), or from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“watch over, protect”).
- An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
“Whose serve is it?”
“He had no power serve of his own, no backhand, no volley, no lob, no idea of pace or tactics.”
“The first serve of the game is from the right half court to the half diagonally opposite.”
- AustraliaA portion of food or drink, a serving.
“The night before your event, base your evening meal on high-carbohydrate foods with a small serve of lean protein.”
“Come here for a cappuccino that could hold its own on Via Veneto in Rome (€2) and a serve of their crunchy fresh cheese börek.”
“Reintroduce protein; add a small serve of salmon, tuna or sardines every second day (tinned variety or fresh).”
- An impressive presentation (especially of a person's appearance).
“That white eyeliner is such a serve.”
“And, of course, there’s the video, which didn’t need to be such a serve since the song slapped so hard. But, it’s still iconic years later.”
“Taking a private jet in the middle of a pandemic is not the serve you think it is KenToya! What is a serve is the hazmat jumpsuit Marlo wears for the sprinter. Fashion x Covid Safety realness.”
- personal, transitiveTo be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity.
“And yet this is not the office of a Priest, but of Him whom the Priest should serve.”
- personal, transitiveTo be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by.
“And truly, Mrs. Abigal, I muſt needs ſay, I ſerv'd my Maſter contentedly, vvhile he vvas living; but I vvill ſerve no Man living (that is, no Man that is not living) vvithout double VVages.”
“[…]his lordship was out of humour. That was the way Chollacombe described as knaggy an old gager as ever Charles had had the ill-fortune to serve.”
“You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief, / They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief / But you're gonna have to serve somebody.”
- personal, transitiveTo wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc.
“That night Annie served him grilled halibut and English peas, plus tomatoes, of course, and a salad.”
- factive, intransitive, personalTo render service by being a servant, worker, employee, or officeholder; to hold those roles and perform their duties.
“They also serve who only stand and wait.”
- personal, transitiveTo set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person.
“About twenty minutes after waiters served the soup, a guest got up and left.”
- archaic, transitiveTo treat (someone) in a given manner.
“Herein thou haſt done good ſeruice to thy country:
VVere all inhumaine ſlaues ſo ſerued as he,
England would be ciuill, and from all ſuch dealings free.”
“I mock them all who have served me ill of late and chiefly this cheat of Judah, whose temple we have plundered and whose golden vessels are my wash-pots.”
- archaic, transitiveTo be suitor to; to be the lover of.
“That gentle Lady, whom I loue and serue.”
- transitiveTo be useful to; to meet the needs of.
“Will somebody please explain to these people that the values of cultural diversity are not served by an ad placing a menorah under a fucking Christmas tree!”
“So, while the sycophantic liberal media calls any and all opposition to Obama racist, they give Obama carte blanche to exploit his race whenever it serves his purpose.”
- intransitiveTo have a given use or purpose; to function for something or to do something.
“The bust also served to remind the public that the Mafia is not harmless.”
“Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscien”
- intransitiveTo usefully take the place as, instead of something else.
“Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out.[…]. Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead afte”
“Maybe the volcanic eruption will serve as a wake-up call to such companies that they need to modernise their risk management.”
- transitiveTo officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.).
“a document served on the tenant” — (a document delivered to the tenant)
“On the morning of February 28, 1993, ATF agents gathered at a staging area near Waco and prepared to serve a search warrant on the Branch Davidians' residence.”
“Prince Andrew’s team tried to hire “internet trolls to hassle” his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, while he hid behind the “well-guarded gates” of Balmoral Castle to avoid being served court papers, accord”
- transitiveTo make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.)
“to serve a witness with a subpoena”
- intransitive, transitiveTo lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc.
“In women's tennis the need to serve more effectively has become greater in recent years because the game is being played more aggressively, and rallies are becoming shorter as a result.”
- transitiveTo copulate with (of male animals); to cover.
“Conception means that a cow is served by a bull and that she becomes pregnant.”
- intransitiveTo be in military service.
“Some reports suggested he would quit the army if he was not allowed to serve abroad in a war zone.”
- transitiveTo work, to operate (a weapon).
“John T. Greble, of the 2d regular artillery, was likewise killed instantly by a ball through the head, while serving his gun in the face of the foe.”
- transitiveTo work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence).
“The Guangzhou Daily reported that Shi Chunlong, 20, who organised the incident, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Hou Bin, who pulled out of the attack after helping to plan it, will serve 12 years”
- To wind spun yarn etc. tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather.
- transitiveTo perform (a public obligation).
“I've received a summons for jury duty. It says I serve one day or one trial.”
“She served the office of mayor five years ago.”
- ambitransitive, slangTo provide crack cocaine (to), usually by selling, dealing, or distributing.
“Once I began selling crack, money was no issue. I would be out 2-3 days at a time, up for 24 hours a day. It was a full time job, serving crack fiends.”
“Tim told her that she could make a little money on the side by serving crack-cocaine.”
“They'd serve cocaine, and you'd sit there, and base this cocaine. And you'd have an ounce gone in 24 hours.”
- intransitiveTo present an attractive personal appearance.
“[…] Angela Bassett, serving for the gods in regal headdresses and flowing white dreadlocks as T'Challa's mother, […]”
- transitiveTo attractively display (something, especially a body part) as part of one's personal appearance.
“I feel the same way about Ashley Monroe too, who was her usual sweet self as she came through serving cleavage to the max.”
“Wearing an itty-bitty black bikini and mirror-like sunnies, she's serving face.”
“Boasting thirteen years in the drag industry, Saki [Yew] once took a hiatus to pursue a dance career. Now, she’s back, back, back and ready to be catapulted to superstardom to serve “looks, sass and a”
- transitiveTo evoke (something, especially a person) with one's personal appearance.
“Serving Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! realness, and we’re into it.”
“Dior’s collection was serving major Bridgerton vibes, and I am definitely taking notes.”
Formsserves(plural) · serves(present, singular, third-person) · serving(participle, present) · served(participle, past) · served(past)