server

noun

serv·​er ˈsər-vər 

1

: one that serves food or drink

2

: the player who serves (as in tennis)

3

: something used in serving food or drink

4

: one that serves legal processes upon another

5

: the celebrant's assistant at mass

6

: a computer in a network that is used to provide services (such as access to files or shared peripherals or the routing of email) to other computers in the network

Synonyms of server

• waiter
• waitress

Examples of server in a Sentence

She asked our server for another glass of wine.

we had barely finished ordering when the server brought our salads

Recent Examples on the Web

For the power equivalent of a single AI data center server rack, or 60 kilowatts, that would require about a 16 meter (53 foot) by 16 meter (53 foot) square of solar panels, given the Earth-Sun distance and the efficiency of those solar panels. —Big Think, 24 Feb. 2026

Today, the focus is shifting toward servers and solar arrays as governments and private companies rethink where the world's most powerful computers should operate. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026

The memo warns that surviving operators relocated mirror servers and sensitive data to civilian infrastructure, including basements in central Caracas and the heavily fortified vaults of the Central Bank of Venezuela. —Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026

These organizations may prefer to process this data locally, rather than housing it in servers based outside the country. —Angelica Ang, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English server, servere, from serven "to serve entry 1" + -er, -ere -er entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing server

• ad server
• altar server
• blade server

Rhymes for server

• fervor
• fervour
• observer
• preserver

Kids Definition

server

noun

serv·​er ˈsər-vər 

1

: a person who serves food or drink

2

: the player who puts a ball in play

3

: something (as a tray) used in serving food or drink

4

: a computer in a network that is used to provide services (as access to files or the delivery of email) to other computers