serves; served; serving
1
a
: to give (food or drink) to someone at a meal, in a restaurant, etc.
Soup was served as the first course.
The waiter served our meals quickly.
The restaurant serves excellent Italian food.
Dinner is served. [=dinner is on the table and ready to be eaten]
b
: to give food or drink to (someone)
The waiter who served us was very nice.
Feel free to serve yourself at the salad bar.
You carve the turkey, and I'll serve.
2
: to be enough food for (a particular number of people)
We need to make enough soup to serve [=feed] eight people.
The roast should serve six.
3
: to provide service to (a customer) : to help (a customer) make purchases
I'm afraid all of our salespeople are serving other customers right now.
What can we do to serve our customers better?
4
a
: to be used or seen in a particular way
—+ as
The trees can serve as shelter from the rain.
The organization serves as a model of social responsibility.
The accident serves as [=is] a reminder of the dangers of drunk driving.
Let that serve as [=be] a lesson to you.
b
: to have a particular result or effect
—often + as
Babysitting his nieces served as a test of his patience.
—often followed by to + verbShe tried hard but her efforts only served to bring more attention to her lack of experience.
5
a
: to be useful or helpful to (someone)
Her quick wit has served her well on many occasions.
b
: to provide what is needed by or for (someone or something)
The library serves the community. = The library serves the needs of the community. [=provides things that the community needs]
He argued that government too often serves the interests of big business. [=does things to help big business instead of ordinary people]
Arguing with him serves no purpose. [=is not useful or helpful in any way]
If (my) memory serves me (right/correctly) [=if I remember correctly], she is from Los Angeles.
Many people do not believe that justice has been served in his case. [=that he has been given proper punishment or fair treatment by the legal system]
If memory serves, she is from Los Angeles.
c
: to provide (an area or group of people) with a particular service
This neighborhood is not served with/by garbage collection.
Two elementary schools serve the town.
6
: to hold a particular office, position, etc. : to perform a duty or job
They served on the jury.
She served on the city council for years.
He served as the club's adviser.
He served for five years in the army. = He served in the army for five years.
She was elected to serve for a second term.
We honor those who serve our country.
She served a two-year apprenticeship.
7
: to be in prison for or during (a period of time)
He's serving two years for robbery.
She is serving a life/10-year sentence.
He has served time [=spent time in prison] for drug possession.
8
law
: to send or give (someone) official legal papers
He served her with divorce papers.
The police officer served a summons/writ on him.
9
: to give respect and service to (someone or something)
She dedicated her whole life to serving God.
10
sports
: to throw a ball into the air and hit it over a net to start play in tennis, volleyball, etc.
It's your turn to serve.
They flipped a coin to decide who would serve the ball first.
plural serves
sports
: the act or action of throwing a ball into the air and hitting it over a net to start play in tennis, volleyball, etc.
She started the game with a powerful serve.
It's your serve. [=it's your turn to serve the ball]
Cite this Entry
“Serve.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/serve. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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