SERVE Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

serve

verb

ˈsərv

Definition of serve

as in to attend

to be a servant for he served his master faithfully for 20 years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to suffice

to be enough they made the pasta serve for eight guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to do

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to treat

to behave toward in a stated way my parents served me well in preparing me for life

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to act

to have a certain purpose the harsh punishment served to teach everyone a lesson

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Addressing the jury directly, Reddington began by thanking jurors for taking time out of their lives to serve on this trial. — Sumiko Corley, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026 By Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation Founded by abolitionists in 1865, The Nation has chronicled the breadth and depth of political and cultural life, serving as a critical, independent, and progressive voice. — Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026 This sophisticated serving tray gets a whimsical twist with the addition of squiggly handles. — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026 With this, Georgia Power will now serve OpenAI’s new project in Effingham County. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for serve

Recent Examples of Synonyms for serve

Verb

For some people attending it, being at Olivia Rodrigo’s inaugural Daisy Chain Fields charity music festival felt like marking their place at a historical event.

— Angela Yang, NBC news, 30 Aug. 2026
Raneem Imam of Memphis recently attended a City Council meeting to support a moratorium on new data centers.

— Christopher Cann, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of attend

Verb

For players 20 and older, a full season in the AHL sufficed to accrue a professional season.

— Thomas Drance, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
The majority explained that authority for the president to construct the ballroom requires satisfying both of those statutes; neither alone suffices.

— Ellen P. Aprill, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of suffice

Verb

As Korean growth picks up, President Lee Jae Myung could be excused for thinking his job as an economic reformer is done.

— William Pesek, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Quarterback Jack Strand made the Atlanta Falcons’ initial 53-man roster Sunday, and running back Tyler Goodson did not.

— Josh Kendall, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of do

Verb

Car parts, for example, are generally treated like other goods from China despite ongoing tensions over the country’s fast-growing auto sector.

— Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Dark circles are the anchor of tired girl makeup, treated as a feature to style rather than a flaw to cover.

— Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of treat

Verb

On Tuesday local time, the US semiconductor sector faced a sharp sell-off, with chip and memory stocks that had previously benefited heavily from the AI surge leading the declines and pulling the broader market down.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
So competition did not fail; utilities benefit too much from the status quo.

— Joshua Macey, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of benefit

Verb

The first of 16 aircraft fitted with the seats is expected to arrive in 2028.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
European security officials officials said an explosive drone found at Leipzig/Halle airport in Germany fits a pattern of likely Russian aggression across Europe.

— Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of fit

Verb

Other areas of concern are the library system's self-check-out kiosks, instances in which minor teenagers handle materials while working or volunteering at a branch, and platforms for loaning electronic materials, Adams said.

— Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2026
Taylor Farms works with hundreds of family farms for its produce and handles processing, packaging and distribution itself.

— Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of handle

Browse Nearby Words

servants

serve

served

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Serve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serve. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of serve

verb

Example Sentences

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