serve

1
as in to attend
to be a servant for he served his master faithfully for 20 years

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2
as in to suffice
to be enough they made the pasta serve for eight guests

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3
as in to do
to be fitting or proper those old riding boots will serve for now, but you'll need newer ones for the horse show

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4
as in to treat
to behave toward in a stated way my parents served me well in preparing me for life

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5
as in to act
to have a certain purpose the harsh punishment served to teach everyone a lesson

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6
as in to benefit
to provide with something useful or desirable an excellent college that served her with the skills necessary to make it in today's job market

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of serve This balanced approach could serve as a model for other jurisdictions struggling with crypto regulation. Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2025 Lumumba briefly served as Congo’s Prime Minister; he was executed at age thirty-five by political rivals in collaboration with Belgian mercenaries. Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025 Kamolwan Panyasevanamit serves as co-producer. Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025 The noise while Lowry and McIlroy were trying to hit was so disruptive that American Justin Thomas, a veteran of this tournament, also served as a course marshal and raised his hands to try to encourage the crowd to let his opponents hit in the customary silence. Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 27 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for serve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serve
Verb
  • Williams then attended a reception in which current football coach Lance Leipold joined emcee Greg Gurley and approximately 200 well-wishers at a gathering to honor Williams.
    Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Another urged states to use Title I money to benefit low-achieving students who live within the boundaries of a high-poverty public school but attend private schools.
    Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This offseason, the Dolphins felt that re-signing Benito Jones and Matt Dickerson would suffice before the draft.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
  • But suffice to say that Anderson tours on his own now, separate from Yes (guitarist Steve Howe, singer Jon Davison, bassist Billy Sherwood, drummer Jay Schellen, and keyboardist Geoff Downes).
    Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Another big sales behemoth, Walmart also does quite a bit to maintain discounts competitive with Prime Day deals across all categories.
    Melissa Knific, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Linda also drags her daughter to a clinic for regular treatments, none of which seem to do any good.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Growing up, Wynter Starks didn’t trick-or-treat like other kids.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
  • If Ohtani is to be treated as a normal starter, however, could that mean changes in how the Dodgers deploy him?
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Many students have acted boldly, and occasionally made dumb mistakes, because they were outraged by historical wrongs, incendiary speakers, cultural stereotypes, or other provocations.
    Christopher L. Eisgruber, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
  • As for acting and producing, Gomez has won Emmys for Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building and earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in 2024’s Emilia Pérez.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Rozeboom, the former Ram who tied his season high with nine tackles, benefited from a switch in responsibilities among the linebackers.
    Joseph Person, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Social media spaces are increasingly closed and personalized; where random Twitter figures could bring their ideas to the president in 2018, now only the most manic — Loomer, the MAGA legal figure Mike Davis — cut through, and benefit.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Scroll through to see which do fit your landscape and garden.
    Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025
  • And each category has different characteristics, so part of the process is to consider how an individual pick fits into its style overall.
    Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Carrying it around feels more like lugging a speaker than a dainty portable gadget, but that handle makes moving it between rooms surprisingly manageable.
    Jade Chung-Lee, PC Magazine, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Lindell handles very ugly, difficult matchups and usually comes out on top, regardless of who he’s partnered with.
    Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Serve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serve. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.

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