She was unable to serve her term out.
•The convict served out his sentence in solitary confinement.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
serve something out — … Useful english dictionary
To serve one out — Serve Serve, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Served}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Serving}.] [OE. serven, servien, OF. & F. servir, fr. L. servire; akin to servus a servant or slave, servare to protect, preserve, observe; cf. Zend har to protect, haurva protecting. Cf … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
dish something out — 1. tv. to serve up food to people. (Standard English.) □ I’ll dish it out, and you take it to the table. CD Careful how you dish out the mashed potatoes. There may not be enough. 2. tv. to distribute information, news, etc. □ The press… … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
serve out — transitive verb : to revenge oneself on : pay back : retaliate against served them out royally for their many acts of cruelty * * * Tennis win the final game of a set or match while serving Fitzgerald then served out for the set * * * … Useful english dictionary
Serve — Serve, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Served}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Serving}.] [OE. serven, servien, OF. & F. servir, fr. L. servire; akin to servus a servant or slave, servare to protect, preserve, observe; cf. Zend har to protect, haurva protecting. Cf.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
serve — serve1 W1S1 [sə:v US sə:rv] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(food/drink)¦ 2 serve two/three/four etc (people) 3¦(shop)¦ 4¦(be useful/helpful)¦ 5¦(do useful work)¦ 6¦(have an effect)¦ 7¦(provide something)¦ 8¦(prison)¦ 9¦(sport)¦ 10 it … Dictionary of contemporary English
serve — serve1 [ sɜrv ] verb *** ▸ 1 provide food/drink ▸ 2 do job ▸ 3 be used for purpose ▸ 4 help achieve something ▸ 5 spend time in prison ▸ 6 provide with something useful ▸ 7 help customers in store ▸ 8 officially give document ▸ 9 hit ball to… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
serve — I UK [sɜː(r)v] / US [sɜrv] verb Word forms serve : present tense I/you/we/they serve he/she/it serves present participle serving past tense served past participle served *** 1) [intransitive/transitive] to provide food and drink for someone to… … English dictionary
serve — 1 verb 1 FOOD/DRINK (I, T) to give someone food or drink as part of a meal: What kind of wine should we serve? | serve sth with sth: Serve the dish with rice and a green salad. | serve sb: Why aren t you out there serving the guests? | serve sth… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
serve — [[t]sɜ͟ː(r)v[/t]] ♦♦ serves, serving, served 1) VERB If you serve your country, an organization, or a person, you do useful work for them. [V n] It is unfair to soldiers who have served their country well for many years... [V n] I have always… … English dictionary
serve up — verb provide (usually but not necessarily food) (Freq. 1) We serve meals for the homeless She dished out the soup at 8 P.M. The entertainers served up a lively show • Syn: ↑serve, ↑dish out, ↑dish up, ↑ … Useful english dictionary
