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

Traditional data center power systems utilize multiple conversion stages to deliver electricity from the grid to servers. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026

The server overheard some of their conversation and told them Southern Belle’s was for sale. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026

With the wool industry in decline after decades of drought, overgrazing and soaring production costs, some ranchers are betting on a different kind of shed — filled not with fleece but with blinking racks of servers. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026

Even a modest homelab server should have no trouble running the Terminus package, which acts as an API point that takes in information, renders the designs, and sends them to your e-paper display. — ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 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