How to Use serve a purpose in a Sentence

serve a purpose

phrase
  • Clothes were there to serve a purpose, to stay out of my way!
    Molly Greeves, refinery29.com, 24 Mar. 2021
  • The phones aren’t hooked up for service, but the booths do serve a purpose.
    Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Today's consumers want ads that help them and that serve a purpose.
    Beni Basel, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2021
  • Donate items that are in good condition but no longer serve a purpose in your life.
    Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Adams questioned whether a harsh term would serve a purpose for Hopkins.
    John Caniglia, cleveland, 14 Oct. 2021
  • Form follows function, as the adage goes, and serifs were thought to no longer serve a purpose.
    Aileen Kwun, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023
  • Even after bolting, your parsley can still serve a purpose in the garden.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2025
  • Even after bolting, your parsley can still serve a purpose in the garden.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
  • These are solutions that serve a purpose, often in subtle ways, and then step back.
    Valeria Balaro, Forbes.com, 25 Feb. 2026
  • But that was always just a lie to serve a purpose — creating outrage — just like these are.
    Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
  • Look for technologies that are redundant or no longer serve a purpose.
    Kim Bozzella, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Reps serve a purpose at each stage during the seasonal journey.
    Outside Online, 27 May 2020
  • But that doesn't mean expanding the rotation doesn't serve a purpose.
    Morten Jensen, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2021
  • Some serve a purpose that’s more than mere decoration for a floor or wall, however.
    Vanessa H. Larson, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
  • And the gatherings serve a purpose beyond just making the host feel welcome.
    Priya Krishna, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
  • All these mental tricks and relaxation tips serve a purpose beyond that night's sleep, experts say.
    Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 13 Mar. 2022
  • This look could serve a purpose for many things such as a performance costume, dinner look, or a girl’s night out outfit.
    Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 9 Sep. 2024
  • Yet so much of our way of seeing the world is founded on the assumption that animals are meant to serve a purpose.
    New York Times, 12 Apr. 2022
  • Maybe a mainstream comedy like this can serve a purpose in keeping the plight of guys like Arj front and center.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Fant is a solid receiver who could serve a purpose with Miami.
    Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
  • His principle was that technology must serve a purpose that meets human needs.
    IEEE Spectrum, 10 Feb. 2025
  • All of that suggests that law enforcement disruption campaigns serve a purpose.
    Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2024
  • The federal trial, though, may serve a purpose far beyond these defendants.
    Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, 6 Feb. 2022
  • Public sector employees serve a purpose greater than themselves.
    Thomas Bostick, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2023
  • With your teams, identify frustrating rules — or policies that people perceive to be rules — that no longer serve a purpose.
    Lisa Bodell, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
  • That isn't to say that Walmart's stable of digital-native brands didn't serve a purpose early on.
    George Anderson, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
  • All those bells and whistles serve a purpose beyond blindly banging those flapper buttons until the silver ball goes bye-bye.
    Ben Flanagan | [email protected], al, 18 Feb. 2022
  • War appeared to serve a purpose, culling population whenever numbers rose too high.
    E O Wilson, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2012
  • Technology should serve a purpose beyond just being the latest shiny object.
    William Arruda, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
  • But the briefings do serve a purpose, which is getting the administration on the record on any number of issues.
    Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'serve a purpose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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