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to serve

to serve

869 1.0
To give food or drink to someone, usually during a meal
  • verb
  • /sɜrv/
translation icon : servir
  • The waiter came to our table to serve us drinks and take our dinner orders.
  • serve meals
  • serve snacks
  • serve fruit

By the way, Trump Tower serves a mean sandwich.

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Examples

  • The stewards began serving shrimp cocktail and prime rib a little ahead of schedule.

    Academic text (2012)
  • This is a typical meal served to astronauts aboard Apollo space flights.

  • And then you serve amazing food to us all.

  • I mean, those things must be served before anything else.

  • So what do we serve for lunch?

  • If you are going to serve yourself something, you have your own glass and whatever.

    Academic text (2008)
  • And then at night you serve cheese and wine and wine.

  • Three hot meals a day, all served in there.

  • Breakfast will be served at 8:30 sharp.

  • Buy an avocado every second day; and when you serve it, also include tomatoes, radishes, or cucumbers.

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

to cater
vsto serve
95 3.1

Provide food and drinks at an event, usually as a paid service

is about offering food to individuals at a meal rather than event-wide provision
to serve up
vsto serve
34 1.4

To give food or drink to people

is about giving or offering during a meal or service
to dish out
vsto serve
  • Informal
28 3.4

To give out things to several people, often food or advice

focuses on offering food at a meal rather than broad distribution
to do the honors
vsto serve
27 7.1

Carry out a social duty like introducing guests or serving drinks

is mainly about offering food during a meal, not ceremonial duties
to wait on
vsto serve
20 3.4

To serve people at a table by bringing food or drinks

focuses on offering food during a meal rather than attending someone
to attend
vsto serve
  • Formal
13 7.2

To serve or help someone, often as part of a job

is specifically about giving food or drink, not general servant tasks
to dish up
vsto serve
  • Informal
3 2.2

To serve food onto plates for people to eat

means to offer food in general, not only plating it

Idioms

22 7.3

A punishment that someone deserves because of their own wrong actions

To try to please two people or groups who want different things and fail to please either

3 6.6

To get a bad result you deserve because of what you did

To be good enough for a purpose for a short time

To be useful to someone in the future

Phrasal Verbs

35 6.7

To spend time in prison as punishment for a crime

34 1.4

To give food or drink to people

Provide alcohol to customers or guests

5 6.5

To give someone an official written letter telling them about a change or end of an agreement

Be useful to someone when they need it

To be a member of a country's army for work or because the law makes you

To form a background that makes the main subject look better

Act as a way to pass information between groups

6.9

Lose a game in tennis when you are the player who starts the point

To go with a person like an ambassador to protect or show respect

Compounds

5.1

A game one player wins while the opponent is serving

People get things in the order they arrive, with no reservations

How Extensive

to cater
95 3.1
to serve
869 1.0
to offer
1.0

Surface Forms

serve infinitive
served past
served past participle
serving present participle
serves third person singular

Etymology

The word serve comes from the old Latin root serv-, from servus meaning 'slave' or 'servant'. Think of a waiter or server who gives food to people, so to serve is to 'give' or 'offer' food or drink.