serve out

phrasal verb

served out; serving out; serves out
: to complete (a term in office, a prison sentence, etc.)
He was unable to serve out his five-year term as chairperson.
She was allowed to serve out her sentence in a prison close to home.

Examples of serve out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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With Bonzi clearly rattled, the Frenchman was unable to serve out as Medvedev fought back to force the contest into a deciding fifth set, only to lose the chaotic late night thriller in three hours and 45 minutes. Manasi Pathak, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025 Santos, as of now, is expected to serve out the remainder of his 87-month sentence. Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025 As a result, Gray would have to serve out the remainder of his life sentence, prosecutors claimed. Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025 In the deciding tiebreak, having frittered away an earlier chance to serve out the match, Vavassori cranked serves and crushed overheads with primal grunts. Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for serve out

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Cite this Entry

“Serve out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serve%20out. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.

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