serve

noun

1. 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.”

   “The first serve of the game is from the right half court to the half diagonally opposite.”

   “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.”

2. (Australia)A portion of food or drink, a serving.

   “The night before your event, base your evening meal on high-carbohydrate foods with a small serve of lean protein.”

   “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.”

   “Reintroduce protein; add a small serve of salmon, tuna or sardines every second day (tinned variety or fresh).”

   “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.”

   “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.”

3. An impressive presentation (especially of a person's appearance).

   “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.”

   “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.”

verb

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

   “And yet this is not the office of a Priest, but of Him whom the Priest should serve.”

2. (personal, transitive)To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).

   “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.”

   “[…]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.”

   “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.”

3. (personal, transitive)To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).

   “That night Annie served him grilled halibut and English peas, plus tomatoes, of course, and a salad.”

4. (factive, intransitive, personal)To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).

   “They also serve who only stand and wait.”

5. (personal, transitive)To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).

   “About twenty minutes after waiters served the soup, a guest got up and left.”

6. (archaic, transitive)To treat (someone) in a given manner.

   “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.”

   “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.”

7. (archaic, transitive)To be suitor to; to be the lover of.

   “That gentle Lady, whom I loue and serue.”

8. (transitive)To be effective.

   “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!”

   “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.”

9. (intransitive)To be effective.

   “The bust also served to remind the public that the Mafia is not harmless.”

   “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,[…].”

10. (intransitive)To be effective.

    “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.”

    “Maybe the volcanic eruption will serve as a wake-up call to such companies that they need to modernise their risk management.”

11. (transitive)To deliver a document in such a way that the recipient can be legally considered to be informed of it.

    “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.”

    “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.”

12. (transitive)To deliver a document in such a way that the recipient can be legally considered to be informed of it.

    “to serve a witness with a subpoena”

13. (intransitive, transitive)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.”

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

    “Conception means that a cow is served by a bull and that she becomes pregnant.”

15. (intransitive)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.”

16. (transitive)To work, to operate (a weapon).

    “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.”

17. (transitive)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.”

18. To wind spun yarn etc. tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather.
19. (transitive)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.”

20. (ambitransitive, 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.”

    “Tim told her that she could make a little money on the side by serving crack-cocaine.”

    “They'd serve cocaine, and you'd sit there, and base this cocaine. And you'd have an ounce gone in 24 hours.”

    “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.”

21. (intransitive)To present an attractive personal appearance.

    “[…] Angela Bassett, serving for the gods in regal headdresses and flowing white dreadlocks as T'Challa's mother, […]”

22. (transitive)To present an attractive personal appearance.

    “I feel the same way about Ashley Monroe too, who was her usual sweet self as she came through serving cleavage to the max.”

    “Wearing an itty-bitty black bikini and mirror-like sunnies, she's serving face.”

    “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”.”

    “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.”

23. (transitive)To present an attractive personal appearance.

    “Serving Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! realness, and we’re into it.”

    “Dior’s collection was serving major Bridgerton vibes, and I am definitely taking notes.”