Meaning

23 senses
  1. To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).

    (personal, transitive)To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity.

    служи́тьslužítʹ, послужи́тьposlužítʹ

    служи́тиslužýty

  2. (personal, transitive)To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by.

    dienen

    служи́тьslužítʹ, послужи́тьposlužítʹ, рабо́татьrabótatʹ

    служи́тиslužýty

    work for, or be a servant to

  3. (personal, transitive)To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc.

    обслу́живатьobslúživatʹ, обслужи́тьobslužítʹ

    обслуго́вуватиobsluhóvuvaty

    help to some food; help with food or drink

  4. (factive, intransitive, personal)To render service by being a servant, worker, employee, or officeholder; to hold those roles and perform their duties.

  5. (personal, transitive)To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person.

    servieren

    подава́тьpodavátʹ, пода́тьpodátʹ

    подава́тиpodaváty, обслуго́вуватиobsluhóvuvaty

  6. To be effective.

    (transitive)To be useful to; to meet the needs of.

    promote, benefit, or be useful or beneficial to

  7. (intransitive)To have a given use or purpose; to function for something or to do something.

    serve a purpose, role, or function

  8. (intransitive)To usefully take the place as, instead of something else.

  9. To deliver a document in such a way that the recipient can be legally considered to be informed of it.

    (transitive)To officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.).

    a document served on the tenant

    вруча́тиvručáty, вручи́тиvručýty

    deliver a warrant or summons to someone

  10. (transitive)To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.)

    to serve a witness with a subpoena

  11. (intransitive, transitive)To lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc.

    aufschlagen, den Aufschlag haben

  12. (transitive)To copulate with (of male animals); to cover.

Examples

1003 sentences
  1. When and where is breakfast served?

    Де і коли подаватимуть сніданок?

    deWann und wo wird das Frühstück serviert?

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  2. What time will dinner be served?

    Коли подадуть вечерю?

    ruКогда будет подан ужин?

    deWann wird das Abendessen serviert?

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  3. Tom served three years in prison.

    Том три роки відсидів у в'язниці.

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  4. They serve delicious food at that restaurant.

    В цьому ресторані подають смачні страви.

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  5. Tom served a long time in prison.

    Том довго сидів у в'язниці.

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Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 4
religion: to obey and worship:
to attend, supply the wants of:
to bring food to:
legal: to bring to notice, deliver, or execute:
Русский
By meaning 3
to be subordinate to:
to attend, supply the wants of:
to bring food to:
Deutsch
By meaning 3
to be a servant:
to bring food to:
sports: to lead off with first delivery (of the ball):

Origin

From Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin serviō (“be a slave; serve”

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”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

serves, serving, served, served
Base formserve · to serve
3rd person singularserves
Present participleserving
Past simpleserved
Past participleserved

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyserve
he, she, itserves

Past simpleLesson

all personsserved

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave served
he, she, ithas served

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill serve

Phrasal verbs

2 phrasal verbs

Synonyms

26 synonyms
to be a servant to:attendB1
Close in meaning

Antonyms

3 antonyms

Word family

37 related words

Collocations

4 patterns
  • will be served
  • breakfast is served
  • be served at
  • served time

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
serve — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto