serves

verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

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 serves Rosemary, the resort’s signature restaurant serves plant-forward cuisine that incorporates regional ingredients and spices. — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2026 Pugh also serves as an executive producer on East of Eden, taking on a central role in the creation of the series since she was brought on in 2020. — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026 PinkPantheress serves as an executive producer on their upcoming debut EP, out in November, Rolling Stone can reveal. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026 Marichu got the job and is one of 19 foreign workers at West River Hospital, which serves residents of Montana and South Dakota, as well as the locals. — Evelio Contreras, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026 Ara Najarian, who serves on the boards of both agencies, acknowledged during a recent meeting of the Metro board that tensions were high between both train systems and the public. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026 Tooker joined the company in 2015 and currently serves as President. — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026 Meta already serves billions of people at scale and helps hundreds of millions of businesses reach customers. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026 The 162-acre retreat, located less than a mile from downtown, serves as one of Lawrenceville’s great gathering places. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serves
  1. attends
  2. suffices
  3. does
  4. treats
  5. acts
  6. benefits
  7. handles
  8. functions
Verb
  • Richards played Kelly Van Ryan, a spoiled cheerleader who attends Blue Bay High School, shot at Ransom Everglades in Coconut Grove.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Caroline DeRossette, whose daughter attends East Mississippi Community College, sees the same shift.
    — Alexis Benveniste, Architectural Digest, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of attends
Verb
  • Simply photographing the surface of the brain somehow suffices.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The majority explained that authority for the president to construct the ballroom requires satisfying both of those statutes; neither alone suffices.
    — Ellen P. Aprill, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of suffices
Verb
  • The Salem witch trials of 1692 carved out an enduring and powerful niche in American history for this little town, and this intimate, kitschy museum does an excellent job telling the story.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Alex just keeps calm, and that’s what Pascal does, more or less, throughout the movie.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of does
Verb
  • Baptist Health treats more breast cancer patients than any other health system in South Florida, giving its teams extensive experience caring for women across the full spectrum of the disease.
    — Baptist Health, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
  • After years of herding his state’s liberal cats, Newsom treats the new breed of progressive ideologues—New York mayor Zohran Mamdani being the exemplar—as Johnny-come-latelies.
    — Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of treats
Verb
  • Middleton spent Wednesday with the West Sussex Minibus, which acts as a vital lifeline for people who cannot easily access public transport due to isolation, mobility challenges or financial barriers, and those aided by the organization’s services.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The surgeon general typically acts as the nation’s top public health educator and is expected to communicate information on how to stay healthy.
    — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of acts
Verb
  • Labor unions have put money behind Cohen while Morgan primarily benefits from individual donors.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • On-device Copilot AI in Windows 11 also benefits from those resources.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of benefits
Verb
  • California’s Labor Commissioner handles retaliation complaints arising under laws within its jurisdiction.
    — William Jones, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • James’ office also handles other criminal work and has the power to investigate every death in the state involving law enforcement.
    — Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of handles
Verb
  • Building governance in advance, before any specific deal requires it, produces something that functions because it was designed to function.
    — Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Many commercial leases and client contracts require proof of general liability coverage before a business can even sign, which often functions as a de facto requirement for many Kansas small businesses even without a state mandate behind it.
    — Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of functions

Browse Nearby Words

servers
serves
service
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Cite this Entry

“Serves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serves. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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