What is serve?

More definitions of "serve":

• (verb): Help to some food; help with food or drink.
  Synonyms: help

• (verb): Do military service.
  Example: "She served in Vietnam"; "My sons never served, because they are short-sighted"

• (verb): Be used by; as of a utility.
  Synonyms: service

• (verb): Be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity.
  Example: "Nothing else will serve"
  Synonyms: suffice, do, answer

• (verb): Serve a purpose, role, or function.
  Example: "This table would serve very well"
  Synonyms: function

• (verb): Contribute or conduce to.
  Example: "The scandal served to increase his popularity"

• (verb): Promote, benefit, or be useful or beneficial to.
  Synonyms: serve well

• (verb): Do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function.
  Example: "He served as head of the department for three years"; "She served in Congress for two terms"

• (verb): Spend time in prison or in a labor camp.
  Synonyms: do

• (verb): Mate with.
  Example: "Male animals serve the females for breeding purposes"
  Synonyms: service

• (verb): Put the ball into play.
  Example: "It was Agassi's turn to serve"

• (noun): (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play.
  Synonyms: service

• (verb): Devote (part of) one's life or efforts to, as of countries, institutions, or ideas.
  Example: "She served the art of music"; "He served the church"; "serve the country"

• (verb): Work for or be a servant to.
  Example: "May I serve you?"
  Synonyms: attend to, wait on, attend, assist

• (verb): Provide (usually but not necessarily food).
  Example: "We serve meals for the homeless"
  Synonyms: serve up, dish out, dish up, dish

Famous quotes containing the word serve:

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
—Bible: New Testament Jesus, in Matthew, 6:24.

From the Sermon on the Mount.

“Today democracy, liberty, and equality are words to fool the people. No nation can progress with such ideas. They stand in the way of action. Therefore we frankly abolish them. In the future each man will serve the interest of the state with absolute obedience. Let him who refuses beware.”
—Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977)

“You need not be proud of me.... I’m only being active till you can be again—it isn’t such a great desire on my part to serve the world and I’ll fall back into habits of sloth quite easily!”
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)