Serve

/sɜːv/ · noun

Meaning

(sports) An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games..

Definitions by Sense

1. (sports) An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
2. (chiefly Australia) A portion of food or drink, a serving.
3. (gay slang and African-American Vernacular) An impressive presentation (especially of a person's appearance).
4. (personal) To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).
5. (transitive, archaic) To treat (someone) in a given manner.
6. (transitive, archaic) To be suitor to; to be the lover of.
7. To be effective.
8. (transitive, law) To deliver a document in such a way that the recipient can be legally considered to be informed of it.

Example Sentences

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.

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.

Synonyms for serve

Antonyms for serve

Related Words

Word Forms

• serves
• serving
• served

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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