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

Taiwanese tech firm Hon Hai Goldman tips Taiwanese technology firm Hon Hai for accelerated growth due to artificial intelligence servers and smartphones. —Tasmin Lockwood, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025

And a vodka-and-caviar server designed to cradle a 50-gram tin is both functional and fantastical, a jewel box for roe. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2025

Kirchner and others, who’d met in the PauseAI Discord server, thought that that genteel approach was insufficient. —Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025

Within their white sterile room are rows upon rows of black racks filled with servers and IT equipment giving off a continuously loud hum. —Charlotte Observer, 3 Dec. 2025

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