I. serve 1 S1 W1 /sɜːv $ sɜːrv/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ servant , ↑ serve , ↑ server , ↑ service , ↑ disservice , the services, ↑ serving , ↑ servery , ↑ servicing , ↑ servility , ↑ servitude ; adjective : ↑ serviceable , ↑ servile , ↑ serving ; verb : ↑ serve , ↑ service ]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: servir , from Latin servire 'to be a slave, serve' , from servus 'slave, servant' , perhaps from Etruscan ]
1 . FOOD/DRINK [intransitive and transitive] to give someone food or drink, especially as part of a meal or in a restaurant, bar etc:
The waiter was serving another table.
Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.
serve something with something
Serve the soup with crusty bread.
serve breakfast/lunch/dinner
Breakfast is served until 9 am.
serve something to somebody
Meals can be served to you in your room.
serve something hot/cold etc
Teacakes should be served hot with butter.
2 . serve two/three/four etc (people) if food serves two, three etc, there is enough for that number of people
3 . SHOP [intransitive and transitive] to help the customers in a shop, especially by bringing them the things that they want:
There was only one girl serving customers.
4 . BE USEFUL/HELPFUL [intransitive and transitive] to be useful or helpful for a particular purpose or reason
serve as
The sofa had to serve as a bed.
The reforms served as a model for the rest of the Communist world.
A large cardboard box will serve the purpose.
Her talent for organization should serve her well.
serve the needs/interests of somebody/something
research projects that serve the needs of industry
5 . DO USEFUL WORK [intransitive and transitive] to spend a period of time doing useful work or official duties for an organization, country, important person etc
serve as
Lord Herbert served as ambassador to France.
serve in the army/air force/navy etc
He returned to Greece to serve in the army.
serve on
Ann serves on various local committees.
the women who served their country in the war
6 . HAVE AN EFFECT [intransitive] formal to have a particular effect or result
serve as
Her death should serve as a warning to other young people.
serve to do something
A single example serves to illustrate what I mean.
7 . PROVIDE SOMETHING [transitive usually passive] to provide an area or a group of people with something that is necessary or useful:
Paris is served by two airports.
8 . PRISON [transitive] to spend a particular period of time in prison:
He served an 18-month sentence for theft.
Did you know that Les is serving time (=is in prison) ?
9 . SPORT [intransitive and transitive] to start playing in a game such as tennis or ↑ volleyball by throwing the ball up in the air and hitting it over the net
10 . it serves somebody right spoken used to say that you think someone deserves something unpleasant that happens to them, because they have been stupid or unkind:
‘She kicked me!’ ‘It serves you right, teasing her like that.’
11 . serve an apprenticeship to learn a job or skill by working for a particular period of time for someone who has a lot of experience
12 . serve a summons/writ etc to officially send or give someone a written order to appear in a court of law
⇨ if my memory serves me (right/well/correctly) at ↑ memory (1)
serve something ↔ out phrasal verb
1 . to complete a particular period of time in prison or doing a job:
Dillon’s almost served out his sentence (=in prison) .
The Senator’s illness means he may not serve out his term.
2 . British English to put food onto plates:
Serve out the rice, will you?
serve something ↔ up phrasal verb
to give food to someone as part of a meal:
What are you serving up tonight?
II. serve 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ servant , ↑ serve , ↑ server , ↑ service , ↑ disservice , the services, ↑ serving , ↑ servery , ↑ servicing , ↑ servility , ↑ servitude ; adjective : ↑ serviceable , ↑ servile , ↑ serving ; verb : ↑ serve , ↑ service ]
the action in a game such as tennis or ↑ volleyball when you throw the ball in the air and hit it over the net
• • •
THESAURUS
■ preparing food
▪ grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
▪ melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
▪ sieve British English , sift American English to put flour or other powders through a ↑ sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces) :
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
▪ chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
▪ dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
▪ season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
▪ crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
▪ mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
▪ beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
▪ stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
▪ fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
▪ knead to press ↑ dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
▪ drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
▪ let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
▪ serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
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Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.