serves

Definition of servesnext
present tense third-person singular of serve
1
as in works (for)
to be a servant for he served his master faithfully for 20 years

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

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3
as in does
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
5
as in acts
to have a certain purpose the harsh punishment served to teach everyone a lesson

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6
as in benefits
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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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 serves The aesthetic presentation also celebrates nature; a gnarled grape vine serves as a platter to display the amuses-bouches. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026 Mark Mylod serves as executive producer and directed multiple episodes. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 May 2026 Mark Mylod serves as executive producer and directed multiple episodes of the first series, which is made by HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026 Andrea Massaro of Goddard Textiles serves as co-executive producer. Joe Otterson, Variety, 6 May 2026 The company’s flagship aviation fuel, CycloJP, serves as a replacement for Jet A, JP-5, JP-8, and JPTS fuels used across military and commercial aircraft. Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 2026 The other Boys’ mission in this episode mainly serves to set up a big climax during Homelander’s sermon next week. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 6 May 2026 Creating opt-in or opt-out schemes that provide meaningful control to people around the world whose data serves as AI’s raw materials is a challenging task, but one that is critical to address now. Alice Xiang, Time, 6 May 2026 The board serves as legislative, executive and quasi-judicial roles. Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serves
Verb
  • This is not a moment where simply modeling democratic and humanitarian principles by our own behavior suffices.
    Ernesto Burden, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
  • For some, the lower-tier MacBook Air suffices.
    Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • California does a good job verifying its voter rolls, but there’s no harm in requiring an ID provided the requirements don’t create excessive hurdles for those who may not have a driver’s license.
    The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
  • Aub says that in general, curly hair does best with gentle, hydrating formulas that can both cleanse the scalp without sacrificing the integrity of the curl pattern.
    Aimee Simeon, Glamour, 7 May 2026
Verb
  • Also, first-time buyers need a state government that is actually on their side, not one that treats housing as an abstract debate.
    Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
  • The county needs leadership that treats housing production as urgent while getting the details right.
    Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Verb
  • The Blue Line is an area spanning 120 kilometers (around 75 miles) along southern Lebanon that acts as a de-facto border between the two countries.
    Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The system acts as an agent, building investment screens and producing full research reports, including sophisticated financial modeling and bull and bear cases for a particular stocks, on the fly.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The father-daughter duo typically make an annual appearance at the Barnstable Brown Gala, which benefits the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center at the University of Kentucky.
    Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
  • The deal especially benefits African agricultural exports like cocoa from Ivory Coast and Ghana, coffee from Kenya, and citrus from South Africa.
    Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • Kimberly Williams-Paisley attends the screening of the 1991 film classic Father of the Bride at the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival in Los Angeles on May 1.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
  • Alex Slitz / Getty Images Nicole Scherzinger attends the Kentucky Derby 152 at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2026, in Louisville, Kentucky.
    Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 2 May 2026
Verb
  • This lightweight nylon bag features handles long enough to sit comfortably on your shoulder, a handy exterior pocket, and a top zipper closure to keep all of your belongings secure.
    Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2026
  • On accountability, the returns and refunds infrastructure already handles error correction, and escalation is largely automated, leaving retailers well-positioned for agentic accountability without a net-new architecture.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 May 2026
Verb
  • That system functions best when those requiring protection are dispersed.
    Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
  • This big-hearted gesture is part of the ethos of The Wiener’s Circle, a Chicago institution that functions as both hot dog stand and local landmark.
    Jimmy Jellinek, SPIN, 27 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Serves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serves. Accessed 9 May. 2026.

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