SERVE Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

serve

verb

ˈsərv

Definition of serve

as in to attend

to be a servant for he served his master faithfully for 20 years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to suffice

to be enough they made the pasta serve for eight guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to treat

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to act

to have a certain purpose the harsh punishment served to teach everyone a lesson

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 It’s been just about six months since Boru Asian Eatery served its last spicy miso ramen in Waldo. — Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026 Billiter said he is honored to have the opportunity to serve as Rocklin’s next fire chief. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026 Assessments Assessment reports like those produced by the US and the IPCC serve several purposes. — Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026 Researchers determine an El Niño year by analyzing ocean temperatures in a specific part of the equatorial Pacific that serves as a bellwether for extreme weather conditions to come. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for serve

Recent Examples of Synonyms for serve

Verb

Many of the casualties were police officers and people attending prayers at a mosque.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
The Lamplighters, with its first president Bill Henderson and 29 others attending, had its initial meeting on May 3, 1946.

— Tom Strong, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of attend

Verb

At the end of the day, odds are one item in your pair is enough to suffice for the usage—and this includes kitchen gadgets, beauty products, bedding, cleaning products, and more.

— Ashlyn Needham, The Spruce, 17 Sep. 2026
Is there a simpler explanation for why four colors suffice for any planar graph?

— Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of suffice

Verb

The question of who killed Hal still looms, as does whatever the hell is going on with an allegedly jailbroken Sinestro.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Adding value to raw materials, which South Africa already does to a greater extent than its African peers, is the goal of countries across the continent.

— Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of do

Verb

The company is increasingly treating ordinary-looking eyewear as a platform for computing, AI, communication, and now hearing assistance.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
Others may reduce benefits or consolidate staff, potentially limiting their ability to treat and serve patients.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of treat

Verb

This is thought to happen because the social transmission of stories acts like evolution.

— Hannah Little, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2026
In June, the co-founder of the citizen watchdog group, DeFlock Idaho, Tyler Cain, filed a pair of tort claims against the cities of Caldwell and Wilder — civil claims which act as possible precursors to lawsuits.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of act

Verb

Your kid can’t benefit unless your state opts into the program.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
That guaranteed the teams with revenue, with brokers benefiting from a markup for popular games but taking the risk that tickets to less popular games would sell at a loss, or not at all.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of benefit

Verb

Cygnet believes that intentional drinking is about what fits the moment at hand, as opposed to restriction.

— Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 2026
At the same time, teenage Nussbaum yearned to fit in school, to find the perfect Villager brand outfit, a skirt sweater over a shirt with a Peter Pan collar that (in those pre-hippie days) was sweeping suburban high schools.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of fit

Verb

Seguin said the aircraft handled well during the first flight.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Fall might feel like the time for a long list of gardening tasks instead of new planting, but there are lots of leafy greens that retain their best flavor in cooler temperatures, and can even handle a surprise cold snap or two.

— The Spruce, The Spruce, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of handle

Browse Nearby Words

servants

serve

served

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Style

“Serve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serve. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of serve

verb

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