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serve

verb

ˈsərv How to pronounce serve (audio)
Definition of servenext
1
as in to attend
to be a servant for he served his master faithfully for 20 years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to suffice
to be enough they made the pasta serve for eight guests

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to do
to be fitting or proper those old riding boots will serve for now, but you'll need newer ones for the horse show

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to treat
to behave toward in a stated way my parents served me well in preparing me for life

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in to act
to have a certain purpose the harsh punishment served to teach everyone a lesson

Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in to benefit
to provide with something useful or desirable an excellent college that served her with the skills necessary to make it in today's job market

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of serve It’s been just about six months since Boru Asian Eatery served its last spicy miso ramen in Waldo. — Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026 Billiter said he is honored to have the opportunity to serve as Rocklin’s next fire chief. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026 Assessments Assessment reports like those produced by the US and the IPCC serve several purposes. — Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026 Researchers determine an El Niño year by analyzing ocean temperatures in a specific part of the equatorial Pacific that serves as a bellwether for extreme weather conditions to come. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for serve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serve
  1. attend
  2. suffice
  3. do
  4. treat
  5. act
  6. benefit
  7. fit
  8. handle
Verb
  • Other events to attend include CULTURA Fiesta Latina held every September to celebrate Latin culture through food, music, dance, and programming and the Christkindl Markt, which brings a festive European-style market to to town.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Nguyen grew up and attended school in the region before earning her Bachelor’s degree at Sacramento State University, according to her campaign website.
    — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of attend
Verb
  • At the end of the day, odds are one item in your pair is enough to suffice for the usage—and this includes kitchen gadgets, beauty products, bedding, cleaning products, and more.
    — Ashlyn Needham, The Spruce, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Is there a simpler explanation for why four colors suffice for any planar graph?
    — Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of suffice
Verb
  • When the vast majority of minor leaguers never reach the majors, the arithmetic clears only when the terms on the few who do are punitive enough to fund the rest.
    — Chris Koras, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The company has already done this three times with Super Heavy but has not yet attempted it with Ship.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of do
Verb
  • The company is increasingly treating ordinary-looking eyewear as a platform for computing, AI, communication, and now hearing assistance.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Others may reduce benefits or consolidate staff, potentially limiting their ability to treat and serve patients.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of treat
Verb
  • The 30-year-old actress, who was named the Chinese brand ambassador for Kors last March, made her acting debut at 10 and has played numerous roles in historical, fantasy and romantic dramas.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Enter the bent-hoop, non-electronic robot that looks like an earring and acts like a sprite in a video game, jumping forever as powered by infrared light.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of act
Verb
  • Further, while about 4,000 workers across Hartford HealthCare’s hospitals, ambulatory locations, and support functions will benefit from this increase, an additional 4,000 will benefit from compression adjustments, the documents show.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Memory technology could also benefit from efficient electrical energy storage and retrieval.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of benefit
Verb
  • Cygnet believes that intentional drinking is about what fits the moment at hand, as opposed to restriction.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 2026
  • At the same time, teenage Nussbaum yearned to fit in school, to find the perfect Villager brand outfit, a skirt sweater over a shirt with a Peter Pan collar that (in those pre-hippie days) was sweeping suburban high schools.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of fit
Verb
  • Seguin said the aircraft handled well during the first flight.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Fall might feel like the time for a long list of gardening tasks instead of new planting, but there are lots of leafy greens that retain their best flavor in cooler temperatures, and can even handle a surprise cold snap or two.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of handle

Browse Nearby Words

servants
serve
served
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Serve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serve. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on serve

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about serve

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