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serve

verb

ˈsərv How to pronounce serve (audio)
Definition of servenext
1
as in to attend
to be a servant for he served his master faithfully for 20 years

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

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 That same month she was fired from her job at Wild Child for reportedly serving an alcoholic beverage to a person who ordered a mocktail. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026 Page and Brin served as CEO and president of Alphabet respectively until December 2019. — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026 Kentucky rolled in its opener (45-13 over Youngstown State), but was outscored by 32 points in the second half of a 45-17 home loss to Alabama on Saturday, which served as a reality check for the road ahead. — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 Key Takeaway Cottage cheese has more protein per serving than tofu. — Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for serve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serve
  1. attend
  2. suffice
  3. do
  4. treat
  5. act
  6. benefit
  7. fit
  8. handle
Verb
  • And Arkansas’ live mascot, Tusk VII, did not attend the season-opener due to the heat advisory.
    — Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Noschese recommends the parents and guardians of her clients to attend the presentation.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of attend
Verb
  • Is there a simpler explanation for why four colors suffice for any planar graph?
    — Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Lagioia’s book goes into disturbing detail about what came next; suffice it to say that Luca’s murder tested the bounds of sadism.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of suffice
Verb
  • In fact, Hal does so almost immediately so John can use his artistic skills to create a complex tunneling device for burrowing beneath the compound.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • As the business grows, employee owners' ESOP accounts do, too, without contributing a cent.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of do
Verb
  • Two aircraft can combine their observations instead of treating each sensor picture separately.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The following books refuse to treat breakups as a singular ending or distinguish the breakup from the inevitable awakening.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of treat
Verb
  • Looks like the method acting (stopping his heart medication in order to play a dying man) paid off.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The Louisiana state court sought to enjoin the SEC from acting against LSU for rostering the players, but even then LSU chose not to roster the players — at least not yet.
    — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of act
Verb
  • While lenders initially benefit from higher income, boosting investment returns, that advantage can be eroded if weaker companies struggle to service their debt.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Hebert said the device reopens that rehabilitation window so patients can continue to benefit from rehabilitation.
    — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of benefit
Verb
  • Ergonomics was about chairs that were built for people, rather than chairs designed to fit efficiently into an office or be simple to stack and move.
    — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers must fit the reactor, shielding and power-conversion equipment inside a combat vehicle.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of fit
Verb
  • Having to balance coverage of this unimaginable tragedy with more typical Housewives scenes is a remarkably tricky balancing act, but one that the show handles well.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The National Transportation Safety Board generally handles civilian aviation accidents, but the military investigates crashes involving its own aircraft.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of handle

Browse Nearby Words

servants
serve
served
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Serve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serve. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on serve

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about serve

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