serves

present tense third-person singular of serve
1
as in works (for)
to be a servant for he served his master faithfully for 20 years

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2
as in suffices
to be enough they made the pasta serve for eight guests

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3
as in does
to be fitting or proper those old riding boots will serve for now, but you'll need newer ones for the horse show

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4
5
as in acts
to have a certain purpose the harsh punishment served to teach everyone a lesson

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6
as in benefits
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

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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 serves The Shotgun 650's frame serves as the foundation for the Classic 650, which also uses a lot of its sibling's parts. New Atlas, 4 Jan. 2025 Idaho Power serves more than 630,000 customers in Idaho and a portion of eastern Oregon. Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 4 Jan. 2025 The excutive producers include Spyglass’ Gary Barber serves and Alfred Street’s Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Dan Volpe and Nan Strait. Marc Berman, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025 All Democrats voted in favor of Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the New York Democrat who serves as House minority leader. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025 Played by Sandler, Bobby Boucher is a socially awkward 30-something who serves as the water boy for the University of Louisiana football program. Mariel Turner, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025 Earlier in the morning, Bad Bunny also debuted a special short film, which serves as a precursor to the album. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 3 Jan. 2025 Recognition serves as proof of concept and reassures customers of the product's quality and uniqueness. Raul Handa, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025 This bowl trip for Nebraska’s coach serves as a homecoming. Mitch Sherman, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serves
Verb
  • Bye Bye Dark Spots Concealer + Serum actively treats discoloration with 2% niacinamide and helps brighten the look of dark circles, thanks to caffeine.
    Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 23 Dec. 2024
  • That's the way society treats you.
    Janine Rubenstein, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Ready for a robot that not only looks human but also acts and reacts like one, expressing emotions like shyness, excitement or friendliness?
    Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025
  • The exclusive releases draw in large crowds, help attract new customers who may return throughout the year, and acts as a boost between the holiday shopping season.
    Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Chiefs have a winning record when Swift attends their games.
    Bryan West, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Laver, 86, lives in Southern California and typically attends the tournament with his family.
    Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • What does ‘no fault or negligence’ actually mean?
    Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
  • Norton and McAfee filter bad sites using VPN technology, as does Trend Micro.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 3 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Each clan of sperm whales uses its own set of clicking sounds to communicate.
    The Atlantic Science Desk, The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2024
  • This piece of exercise equipment uses gravity and your body weight to create resistance.
    Nora Colomer, Fox News, 28 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Infused with cica, green tea, sunflower seed oil, and vitamin E to soothe and protect the skin barrier, the formula works for people of all skin types.
    Sarah Han, Allure, 30 Nov. 2024
  • This handheld vacuum has 69,000 five-star ratings, works on carpet, hardwood, and tile floors, and weighs less than 3 pounds.
    Isabel Garcia, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Ant operates Alipay, one of the two major apps for mobile payments in China.
    Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2025
  • In essence, Nvidia treats the entire data center as the new unit of compute, interconnecting chips, servers and racks so tightly that an AI factory operates as a single colossal supercomputer.
    Janakiram MSV, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The video shows soldiers shooting, apparently randomly, while another performs the customary reading of the Book of Esther.
    Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The county performs about 14,000 inspections annually, with 97% of establishments passing, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Sacramento Bee.
    Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 14 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Serves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serves. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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