See Also: serve(1)(dictionary)
serve(4)(dictionary)
serve(medicine)
re-serve(dictionary)
serve(3)(dictionary)
serve(2)(dictionary)
serve 2, noun(dictionary)
serve 1, verb(dictionary)
Serve - Sailing(gambling)
Flat Serve - Tennis(gambling)

serve(4) (iou)



serve verb1. ME.
[Old & mod. French servir or Latin servire, from servus slave.]
I.
verb intrans. Be a servant, esp. a personal or domestic one. Formerly also, be or work as a slave (chiefly in biblical translations). ME.
S. T. Warner He had been carried off..to serve as a slave.
verb trans. Be a servant to; esp. be employed in the personal or domestic service of. ME.
Shakespeare All's Well A gentleman that serves the Count. fig.: W. Golding One must break a rule, an oath, to serve a higher truth.
b. Attend or wait on (a person) in the manner of a personal or domestic servant; minister to. ME.
Tennyson The good House..Endures not that her guest should serve himself.
c. Work for (an individual or corporate employer) in return for wages or a salary; be an employee of. M19.
Gladstone All the civilians who had ever served the Company.
a. verb trans. (orig. with dat. obj.). Be committed to the worship of (God or a god), spec. as a priest. ME.
b. verb trans. Worship (God or a god) with religious rites; offer praise and prayer to. ME-E18.
c. verb intrans. Officiate as a priest, hold a service. ME-L17.
Christian Church.
a. verb trans. Assist (a priest) as a server; act as a server at (the Eucharist). ME.
b. verb intrans. Act as a server at the Eucharist. Also foll. by at. LME.
verb trans. & intrans. with to. Give obedience and service to (God, a god, a ruler, etc.). ME.
Disraeli Serving a master for whose service he felt no zeal.
b. verb trans. Be the lover or devoted admirer of (esp. a woman). Now rare or obsolete. LME.
verb trans.
a. Obey (a person's will); execute (a command etc.). ME-E19.
b. Gratify (a desire); satisfy (a need). LME-L18.
verb trans. Go through an allotted period or term of (service, training, a prison sentence, etc.). Freq. in serve one's time, serve time, below. Also foll. by out. ME.
Thackeray Having served his full time in India. C. Easton She served a three-year prison sentence.
verb trans.
a. Perform the duties of (an official position, esp. an ecclesiastical one). Also, complete the full period of tenure of (an official position). LME.
G. Chalmers A Vicarage was established for serving the Cure.
b. Assist at or take part in (a function); perform official duties in the service of (an institution, esp. an ecclesiastical one). L15.
K. H. Digby His monasteries were served by priests from without.
verb intrans. Perform official duties, hold an official position. LME.
A. Toffler Citizens are expected to serve on juries where needed.
verb trans. Be a member of the armed forces of (a State, ruler, commander, etc.); fight for. E16.
R. Burn Forced to serve the king in his fleet.
verb intrans. Be a member of the armed forces; fight for a State, ruler, commander, etc. E16.
D. Fraser He had served..almost entirely as a Gunner.
verb trans. Do a service for (a person, the community, etc.); work for (a cause). M17.
T. Benn Leaders..represent those whom they serve.
II. verb trans. & intrans. Be subordinate or subsidiary to or to. ME-M17.
verb trans.
a. Be useful or advantageous to; meet the requirements of; be serviceable for. Freq. foll. by as, for. ME.
G. Greene He had risen quickly by the very quality which had served him so ill at the Bar.
b. Esp. of a bodily organ: fulfil a prescribed function for; contribute to the functioning of. ME.
c. Be used in common by (a number of people). LME-L18.
a. verb intrans. Have a definite use or function, fulfil a need, bring about or contribute to a desired result. Also foll. by of, as, for, to, to do. ME.
M. L. King Instead of stopping the movement, the opposition's tactics had only served to give it greater momentum. S. Brett The girl in the..cupboard which served as reception.
b. verb intrans. Be usable or available for. E16-E17.
c. verb trans. Help to fulfil (an end, a purpose, etc.); contribute to, tend to promote. M16.
Scotsman A desire to serve the interests of trade unionists.
verb intrans. & (arch.) trans. Be opportune, convenient, or favourable (to, to do); afford occasion or opportunity (to a person). LME.
Shakespeare 3 Henry VI If fortune serve me, I'll requite this kindness. Sir W. Scott Large boughs..had been left on the ground till time served to make them into..billets. H. Spencer The sportsman, narrating his feats when opportunity serves.
b. verb intrans. & trans. spec. Of the wind, tide, etc.: be favourable for (a voyage etc.). LME.
verb trans. Of the conscience etc.: prompt, encourage, or (usu. in neg. contexts) permit (a person) to do. LME-L16.
Shakespeare Merchant of Venice My conscience will serve me to run from this..master.
verb trans. & intrans. Avail, suffice. Freq. in neg. contexts. Also foll. by to do, for. LME.
Thomas Hughes Nothing would serve him but that we..turn off for Hungerford at once. M. Bragg A peck served where a bushel had been needed before.
b. verb trans. Be sufficient for, provide what is requisite for. M16-E18.
verb intrans. Be valid, hold good; be available for; pass inspection. LME-E18.
verb trans. Of clothes etc.: suit, fit. obsolete exc. Scot. M16.
verb trans. & (rare) intrans. Of the memory: assist or prompt (a person); prove reliable to (a person). M17.
Mrs H. Wood I did tell you so..if my memory serves me right.
III.
verb trans. Wait on (a person) at table; set food or drink before (a person), help (a person) to food or drink. Also (now rare), feed (an animal). Freq. foll. by with. ME.
J. Rathbone Mr Curtis..served us tea in dainty cups.
verb intrans. Wait at table; offer or hand food or drink to guests. ME.
b. verb trans. Set food on (a table), spread (a table) with food. Now rare. LME.
verb trans.
a. Set (food or drink) on the table or before a person; offer (food or drink, esp. an accompanying portion) to a person; present (food) in a specified manner or with another food item; bring in or dish up (a meal or course). Also foll. by up. ME.
P. P. Read Lunch was served on the terrace. E. David Serve it with small roast potatoes and a green salad. fig.: A. Brookner Her mouth down-drooping..at what fate had served up to her.
b. Hand out, distribute. Freq. foll. by out. L17.
J. Raban She served out portions of..stew.
verb trans. Supply or provide (a person, a place, etc.) with goods or services. Also foll. by of, with. ME.
A. Gray A reservoir to serve the new housing scheme. Caravan Magazine Le Bugue is served by the French railway system.
b. Supply, provide, (a commodity); yield a supply of. L16-L17.
a. verb trans. Attend to (a customer) in a shop etc.; supply (a customer) with goods. LME.
b. verb intrans. Attend to customers in a shop etc. E19.
R. Warner The bar, behind which Bess was serving, to order myself a drink. R. Campbell His grown-up sons..served at the counter inside.
verb refl. & intrans. Make use of; avail oneself of. arch. LME.
W. Warburton You may serve yourself of the following hints.
verb trans. Assist (a worker) by handing him or her materials; supply with material for work. obsolete exc. dial. LME.
verb trans. Give alms to (a beggar). Scot. & dial. M18.
verb trans. Make (a person) satisfied or content with food etc. Also, give (a person) a glut of, weary (a person) of. Scot. M18.
IV. transf. & fig.
verb trans. Treat or behave towards (a person etc.) in a specified manner. ME.
F. Marryat If I served you as you deserve, I should..put my bullet into you.
verb trans. Attack (a hostile force etc.) with a weapon. Long rare or obsolete. LME.
verb trans. Play (a trick) on. Also, do (a person) a good or bad turn. L16.
V.
verb trans. Of a male (esp. a stud) animal: copulate with (a female). ME.
Greyhound Star He was..exported to Australia where he has now served over 100 bitches.
verb trans. Law.
a. Deliver (a writ or other legal document) to a person in the legally required manner. Freq. foll. by on. LME.
b. Declare (a person) heir to an estate, formerly by an inquest or retour, later by petition to a sheriff. Now chiefly in serve heir to. Scot. E16.
c. Deliver a writ or other legal document to (a person) in a legally formal manner. Usu. foll. by with. L16.
a. verb intrans. Orig. in Real Tennis, act as an assistant or marker for the players, spec. by putting the ball in play. Later, in Tennis & Badminton etc., start or resume play by striking the ball into the opposite court. Also foll. by out. M16.
Age (Melbourne) I've never served so well in such a big tournament.
b. verb trans. Orig. in Real Tennis, stop (the ball) before the second bounce. Later in Tennis & Badminton etc. put (the ball) in play. E17.
c. verb trans. Hit or throw the ball to (one's opponent). rare. M17.
verb trans.
a. Falconry. Drive out the quarry into the view of (a hawk). L16.
b. Coursing. Of a dog: gain an advantage for (itself) or give an advantage to (another dog) by keeping or losing its place when turning a hare. L16.
verb trans. Wrap (a rope, bandage) round an object; spec. (Nautical) bind (a rope etc.) with thin cord, esp. to prevent it from rotting or unravelling. L16.
verb trans. Military. Operate, keep (a gun, battery, etc.) firing. E18.
Phrases, & with adverbs in specialized senses: be served, be well served, be poorly served, etc., receive (good, bad, etc.) service. see and serve (rare, Shakes.) have experience of military service. serve and sue: see SUE. serve a person in some, serve a person in no stead: see STEAD noun. serve a person right treat a person, esp. a wrongdoer as he or she deserves; be the deserved punishment or misfortune of a person; freq. in it serves you right, serves him right, etc., expr. satisfaction when a person's foolishness, wrongdoing, etc., is justly rewarded or punished. serve a writ on: see WRIT noun 2. serve one's country fight for one's country; work or offer one's services for the greater public good. serve one's turn, serve the turn fulfil a function; meet a need; be adequate. serve one's time hold office, undertake a term of service, training, etc., for a certain period. serve out (a) (chiefly Nautical) mete out or administer (corporal punishment); (b) arch. colloq. take revenge on (a person) for something; (see also senses 7, 24b, 36a above). serve the purpose of take the place of; be used as. serve the time [Latin tempori servire] shape one's conduct in conformity to the views that happen to be in favour at the time (cf. time-server, time-serving, etc. s.v. TIME noun). serve the turn: see serve one's turn above. serve the stead of: see STEAD noun. serve time undergo imprisonment. serve up offer for acceptance; present; (see also sense 24a above). serve with the same sauce: see SAUCE noun. what serves it? arch. what is the use of it?
Comb.: serve-and-volley adjective (of a tennis player etc.) designating a style of play in which the server moves close to the net after serving ready to play an attacking volley shot off the service return; serve-yourself adjective (of a shop, restaurant, buffet, etc.): in which the customer helps himself or herself to goods, food, etc.
servable adjective (rare) able to be served, fit to be served M19.