1
as in to attend
to be a servant for
he served his master faithfully for 20 years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
3
4
as in to treat
to behave toward in a stated way
my parents served me well in preparing me for life
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
6
as in to benefit
to provide with something useful or desirable
an excellent college that served her with the skills necessary to make it in today's job market
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of serve
Grasslands, like those that dominate the eastern plains of Colorado, provide important habitat for wildlife and serve as a critical food source for livestock.
—
Matthew Sturchio, The Conversation, 30 May 2025
After the crime While serving her sentence, Maje became pregnant by another inmate.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 30 May 2025
The sales tax measure would be limited to areas served by MTS, so North County communities would be excluded because they are served by the North County Transit District.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
Sail-away parties are often held when departing destinations, like a variety of personal pizzas being served while leaving Naples, Italy.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for serve
Matthew Sturchio, The Conversation, 30 May 2025
After the crime While serving her sentence, Maje became pregnant by another inmate.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 30 May 2025
The sales tax measure would be limited to areas served by MTS, so North County communities would be excluded because they are served by the North County Transit District.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
Sail-away parties are often held when departing destinations, like a variety of personal pizzas being served while leaving Naples, Italy.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for serve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serve
Verb
-
There is no telling how many people will attend, but similar anti-Trump protests on April 19 under the 5051 banner drew 3 million people by Newsweek’s estimate.—
McClatchy Staff,
Idaho Statesman,
6 June 2025
-
Female solo action movies are a completely different subgenre and don’t always attract the full-on male audience that typically attends an action movie with a male leading star.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
Verb
-
But in many cases, doctors use CT scans when other tests could suffice, Dr. Smith-Bindman says.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Outdated telemedicine laws in 10 states further limit care, requiring audio or video visits even when asynchronous consultations would suffice.—
Geri Stengel,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
One of his owners, Craig Leipold, did, back in January.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
-
Enter Ketamine To confirm the finding, the team did the experiment again.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
All six victims are still being treated, with one listed was seriously injured while the others received more minor injuries, according to police.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
-
The Trump administration and the European Union are fast-tracking discussions toward a trade deal, but America’s right sometimes treats the bloc as more foe than friend.—
Adam Goldman Jeanna Smialek Ameera Harouda Miriam Jordan,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Verb
-
Expansion process As Daly noted in a Q&A with The Athletic two weeks ago, the league doesn’t anticipate opening a traditional expansion process as much as continuing to listen to interested parties and perhaps acting on it from there at some point in time.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
-
His other acting credits include the Fargo series, the limited series The Offer and the Life in Pieces series.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
Ernst defended the bill, arguing that those eliminated from these programs would be people who were not eligible to benefit from them in the first place.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
31 May 2025
-
And the people who most benefited from those services are losing out.—
Alecia Taylor,
Kansas City Star,
31 May 2025
Verb
-
Reich imagines a world in which Dropout licenses a big sitcom — say Parks and Recreation — that could both bring subscribers and fit in with the platform’s sensibility.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
2 June 2025
-
How Drones Are Changing Modern Warfare On October 2, 2016, a drone fitted with explosives by the Islamic State group hit a position outside Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital, Erbil, killing two Kurdish Peshmerga troops and injuring two accompanying French special forces.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Verb
-
The Yanks lobbed them the title, and the Dodgers were barely able to handle the throw.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
Intelligent chatbots and virtual assistants can handle many customer queries, freeing up human agents for more complex interactions.—
Ivan Ostojić,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Serve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serve. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share