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

• garçon
• waiter
• waitperson

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

Crying babies, busy servers The lobby was swarming. —Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 1 Nov. 2024

Impact on the data center The enhancements to the NVLink Switch combined with extensive system design allow for one of the densest server configurations, which translates to higher overall performance and higher performance efficiency. —Jim McGregor, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Where if it gets taken down from one server, then somebody can put it up on a different server in a different country, for example. —Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024

The company claimed its cloud will be the first to use Nvidia’s Blackwell system to power its AI servers. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024

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

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