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

• 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

Offering the quintessential fine dining experience, complete with white tablecloths, attentive servers, and an extensive wine list, the name pays homage to the influence grandmothers have in the home. —Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025

The rapid growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence has fueled demand for energy-hungry data centers that need power to run servers, storage systems, networking equipment and cooling systems. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025

The new chip is also remarkably small, indicating that it can be used in smart watches and phones to give them AI capabilities without being connected to cloud servers. —New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2025

In court papers, Verona E. Swanigan, the Arkansas attorney representing Scarbrough, said servers went twice to Steven Anderson's home in Sarasota, Florida — on Sept. 24, 2024, and on Oct. 2, 2024 — but were unable to hand him the documents. —Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 20 Aug. 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