Etymology From Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin serviō (“be a slave; serve”), from Latin servus (“slave; servant”), which perhaps derives from Etruscan (compare Etruscan proper names 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌉 (servi), 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌄 (serve)), or from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“watch over, protect”).
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Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
Whose serve is it?
He had no power serve of his own, no backhand, no volley, no lob, no idea of pace or tactics.1961 January 13, Marshall Smith, “From Waif to a Winner, the Clown of the Courts”, in Life, page 99:
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The first serve of the game is from the right half court to the half diagonally opposite.1996, Steve Boga, Badminton, page viii:
Against a serve of the calibre of McEnroe′s, an opponent will try to anticipate the ball′s direction and lean either to the left or to the right, depending on where he feels the server will go.2009, Mihnea Moldoveanu, Roger L. Martin, Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers, page 31:
The night before your event, base your evening meal on high-carbohydrate foods with a small serve of lean protein.2004, Susanna Holt, Fitness Food: The Essential Guide to Eating Well and Performing Better, Australia: Murdoch Books, page 23:
Come here for a cappuccino that could hold its own on Via Veneto in Rome (€2) and a serve of their crunchy fresh cheese börek.2007, Verity Campbell, Turkey, Lonely Planet, page 142:
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Reintroduce protein; add a small serve of salmon, tuna or sardines every second day (tinned variety or fresh).2008, Michael E. Cichorski, Maximum Asthma Control: The Revolutionary 3-Step Anti Asthma Program, page 100:
Smirnoff Appleback was a finished drink, comprising a 50ml serve of Smirnoff, with ice and lemonade or ginger ale and equating to 1.9 units.2011, Great Britain Parliament House of Commons Health Committee, Alcohol: First Report of Session 2009-10, volume 2, page 189:
One serve of carbohydrates is approximately equal to a slice of bread, a piece of fruit, third of a cup of cooked rice, half a cup of grains, cereals, starchy vegetables or cooked pasta, 200 grams of plain yoghurt, or 300 millilitres of milk.2012, Lesley Campbell, Alan L. Rubin, Type 2 Diabetes For Dummies, Australian Edition, page 117:
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An impressive presentation (especially of a person's appearance).
Gay slang and African-American Vernacular
That white eyeliner is such a serve.
And, of course, there’s the video, which didn’t need to be such a serve since the song slapped so hard. But, it’s still iconic years later.2019, Mathew Rodriguez, “The Official Ranking of Every Track on Britney Spears’ Debut Album”, in Out.com:
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Taking a private jet in the middle of a pandemic is not the serve you think it is KenToya! What is a serve is the hazmat jumpsuit Marlo wears for the sprinter. Fashion x Covid Safety realness.2021, Chris Murphy, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta Recap: Allow Me To ReintroDrewce Myself”, in Vulture:
Etymology From Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin serviō (“be a slave; serve”), from Latin servus (“slave; servant”), which perhaps derives from Etruscan (compare Etruscan proper names 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌉 (servi), 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌄 (serve)), or from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“watch over, protect”).
Personal To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity.
And yet this is not the office of a Priest, but of Him whom the Priest should serve.1889, Philip Schaff, translating St. Chrysostom, Homilies, XIV
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Personal To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by.
And truly, Mrs. Abigal, I muſt needs ſay, I ſerv'd my Maſter contentedly, vvhile he vvas living; but I vvill ſerve no Man living (that is, no Man that is not living) vvithout double VVages.1716 March 21 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], The Drummer; or, The Haunted House. A Comedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], published 1716 (indicated as 1715), →OCLC, Act I, page 4:
[…]his lordship was out of humour. That was the way Chollacombe described as knaggy an old gager as ever Charles had had the ill-fortune to serve.1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
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You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief, / They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief / But you're gonna have to serve somebody.1979, Bob Dylan, Gotta Serve Somebody:
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Personal To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc.
That night Annie served him grilled halibut and English peas, plus tomatoes, of course, and a salad.2007, Larry McMurty, When the Light Goes:
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Factive, Personal To render service by being a servant, worker, employee, or officeholder; to hold those roles and perform their duties.
They also serve who only stand and wait.1673, John Milton, On His Blindness:
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Personal To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person.
About twenty minutes after waiters served the soup, a guest got up and left.2009, Dominic A Pacyga, Chicago: A Biography, page 195:
Herein thou haſt done good ſeruice to thy country: VVere all inhumaine ſlaues ſo ſerued as he, England would be ciuill, and from all ſuch dealings free.1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], →OCLC, Act I:
I mock them all who have served me ill of late and chiefly this cheat of Judah, whose temple we have plundered and whose golden vessels are my wash-pots.1924, H. Rider Haggard, Belshazzar:
That gentle Lady, whom I loue and serue.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
› To be effective.
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To be useful to; to meet the needs of.
Will somebody please explain to these people that the values of cultural diversity are not served by an ad placing a menorah under a fucking Christmas tree!1989 December 24, Read Weaver, “Xmas And The Rest Of Us”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 24, page 4:
So, while the sycophantic liberal media calls any and all opposition to Obama racist, they give Obama carte blanche to exploit his race whenever it serves his purpose.2010 October 12, Lloyd Marcus, “So much for the 'post-racial' president”, in The Guardian:
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To have a given use or purpose; to function for something or to do something.
The bust also served to remind the public that the Mafia is not harmless.2011 January 27, “Borgata bust”, in The Economist:
Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscience and serve as the starting point for asking questions we could not otherwise have answered,[…].2012 March-April, Terrence J. Sejnowski, “Well-connected Brains”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 171:
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To usefully take the place as, instead of something else.
Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out.[…]. Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead after a sketch from a picture of a Greek warrior; and a rake-handle served as a shaft.1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
Maybe the volcanic eruption will serve as a wake-up call to such companies that they need to modernise their risk management.2010 April 20, “Not up in the air”, in The Economist:
› To deliver a document in such a way that the…
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Law To officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.).
a document served on the tenant
On the morning of February 28, 1993, ATF agents gathered at a staging area near Waco and prepared to serve a search warrant on the Branch Davidians' residence.2008 April, Pamela Colloff, “The Fire That Time”, in Texas Monthly, Austin: Emmis Publishing, page 158:
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Prince Andrew’s team tried to hire “internet trolls to hassle” his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, while he hid behind the “well-guarded gates” of Balmoral Castle to avoid being served court papers, according to allegations in her posthumous memoir.2025 October 20, Caroline Davies, “Prince Andrew tried to hire ‘internet trolls’ to hassle Virginia Giuffre, book claims”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
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Law To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.)
to serve a witness with a subpoena
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Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc.
In women's tennis the need to serve more effectively has become greater in recent years because the game is being played more aggressively, and rallies are becoming shorter as a result.2007, Rob Antoun, Women's Tennis Tactics, page 2:
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To copulate with (of male animals); to cover.
Conception means that a cow is served by a bull and that she becomes pregnant.1996, Puck Bonnier et al., Dairy Cattle Husbandry, Agromisa Foundation 2004
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To be in military service.
Some reports suggested he would quit the army if he was not allowed to serve abroad in a war zone.2007 May 16, Peter Walker, The Guardian:
John T. Greble, of the 2d regular artillery, was likewise killed instantly by a ball through the head, while serving his gun in the face of the foe.1864, Horace Greeley, The American Conflict:
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To work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence).
The Guangzhou Daily reported that Shi Chunlong, 20, who organised the incident, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Hou Bin, who pulled out of the attack after helping to plan it, will serve 12 years.2010 December 1, Tania Branigan, The Guardian:
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Nautical, Transport To wind spun yarn etc. tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather.
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To perform (a public obligation).
I've received a summons for jury duty. It says I serve one day or one trial.
She served the office of mayor five years ago.
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Drugs, Medicine, Pharmacology, SciencesAmbitransitive, Slang To provide crack cocaine (to), usually by selling, dealing, or distributing.
Once I began selling crack, money was no issue. I would be out 2-3 days at a time, up for 24 hours a day. It was a full time job, serving crack fiends.2006, Stacey Green, Inside...the Mind of a Man!, page 18:
Tim told her that she could make a little money on the side by serving crack-cocaine.2010, Keith Norton, Crack Spell:
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They'd serve cocaine, and you'd sit there, and base this cocaine. And you'd have an ounce gone in 24 hours.2012, Diana Prince, Secret Lives: Real Lives in the World’S Oldest Profession:
When crews like the Supreme Team saw the effect of the powerful new drug on users, they streamlined their own operation to serve crack only.2013, Seth Ferranti, The Supreme Team: The Birth of Crack and Hip-Hop, Prince’s Reign of Terror and the Supreme/50 Cent Beef Exposed:
› To present an attractive personal appearance.
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To present an attractive personal appearance.
LGBTQ slang and African-American Vernacular
[…] Angela Bassett, serving for the gods in regal headdresses and flowing white dreadlocks as T'Challa's mother, […]2017, John Boone, “Inside Marvel Studios: Secrets About 'Black Panther,' 'Captain Marvel,' 'Thor: Ragnarok' & More!”, in ET Online:
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To attractively display (something, especially a body part) as part of one's personal appearance.
LGBTQ slang and African-American Vernacular
I feel the same way about Ashley Monroe too, who was her usual sweet self as she came through serving cleavage to the max.2016, Delores Shante, “Tiffany Foxx’s Black Friday”, in The St. Louis American, archived from the original on 07 Feb 2021:
Wearing an itty-bitty black bikini and mirror-like sunnies, she's serving face.2019, Alyssa Morin, “Kylie Jenner and Her BFF Stassie Pose in Matching Itty-Bitty Bikinis”, in E! Online:
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Boasting thirteen years in the drag industry, Saki [Yew] once took a hiatus to pursue a dance career. Now, she’s back, back, back and ready to be catapulted to superstardom to serve “looks, sass and a dulled down Australian accent”.2024 September 12, Sam Damshenas, “‘A new direction for the franchise’: Drag Race UK stars on “mind-blowing” season 6”, in Gay Times:
Sabrina [Carpenter] is always serving face (and singing about it, too). So I consulted with Beth Gillette, beauty editor, on how to create the perfect makeup look to complete your Short n' Sweet fantasy.2024 September 21, Heath Owens, “What to Wear to Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short N' Sweet' Tour”, in Cosmopolitan:
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To evoke (something, especially a person) with one's personal appearance.
LGBTQ slang and African-American Vernacular
Serving Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! realness, and we’re into it.2019, Emma Kelly, “Jennifer Aniston is ‘dating again’ and ‘staying in touch’ with ex-husband Brad Pitt”, in Metro UK:
Dior’s collection was serving major Bridgerton vibes, and I am definitely taking notes.2021, Bella Gerard, “These Paris Fashion Week SS21 Couture Looks Give Me So Much Serotonin”, in Stylecaster: