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

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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

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

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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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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
  • What will be intriguing is who from City's ownership or board attends the Liverpool game.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Rodriguez, who attends some re-sees as a spectator and others as a buyer, hopes that more brands will start to separate time slots, so that buyers and editors can better do their jobs, as creators capture their content.
    — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 8 Oct. 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
  • For much of the story, Xu Fu looks out for himself and treats the war as someone else’s problem.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In a secluded bubble away from the city, Stephen Miller’s wife treats Washington’s most powerful to custom cakes, live donkeys, and sake-squirting hibachi chefs.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of treats
Verb
  • Paul Heaney’s company itself acts as the central commissioner, putting projects into production and then sells the rights to buyers who have already stated their interest.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In 1961, however, studies in animals revealed that clozapine acts primarily as a sedative and exerts its effects without inducing muscle rigidity, as previous antipsychotics had.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of acts
Verb
  • Silicon photonics already benefits from decades of advances in semiconductor manufacturing.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Healthy people are able to work, contribute to the economy, care for their families, and thrive, which benefits everyone.
    — Josh Bergeron, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of benefits
Verb
  • Netflix will stream it in Latin America, Spain and Portugal in 2027 following a theatrical run, while Luxbox handles international sales.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • That high smoke point is a big part of why tallow handles hot pans and deep fryers without breaking down.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 9 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 11 Oct. 2026.

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