done or made using whatever is available; "crossed the river on improvised bridges"; "the survivors used jury-rigged fishing gear"; "the rock served as a makeshift hammer"
(sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play; "his powerful serves won the game"
put the ball into play; "It was Agassi's turn to serve"
do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function; "He served as head of the department for three years"; "She served in Congress for two terms"
provide (usually but not necessarily food); "We serve meals for the homeless"; "She dished out the soup at 8 P.M."; "The entertainers served up a lively show"
help to some food; help with food or drink; "I served him three times, and after that he helped himself"
mate with; "male animals serve the females for breeding purposes"
deliver a warrant or summons to someone; "He was processed by the sheriff"
do military service; "She served in Vietnam"; "My sons never served, because they are short-sighted"
work for or be a servant to; "May I serve you?"; "She attends the old lady in the wheelchair"; "Can you wait on our table, please?"; "Is a salesperson assisting you?"; "The minister served the King for many years"
devote (part of) one's life or efforts to, as of countries, institutions, or ideas; "She served the art of music"; "He served the church"; "serve the country"
contribute or conduce to; "The scandal served to increase his popularity"
promote, benefit, or be useful or beneficial to; "Art serves commerce"; "Their interests are served"; "The lake serves recreation"; "The President's wisdom has served the country well"
serve a purpose, role, or function; "The tree stump serves as a table"; "The female students served as a control group"; "This table would serve very well"; "His freedom served him well"; "The table functions as a desk"
spend time in prison or in a labor camp; "He did six years for embezzlement"
a class of nouns or pronouns or adjectives in Indo-European languages having the same (or very similar) inflectional forms; "the first declension in Latin"
the inflection of nouns and pronouns and adjectives in Indo-European languages
igneous rock produced by eruption and solidified on or near the earth's surface; rhyolite or andesite or basalt; "volcanic rock includes the volcanic glass obsidian"
explosively unstable; "a volcanic temper"
relating to or produced by or consisting of volcanoes; "volcanic steam"; "volcanic islands such as Iceland"; "a volcanic cone is a conical mountain or hill built up of material from volcanic eruptions"
a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current
the process of gradually becoming inferior
the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation
an inferior state resulting from the process of decaying; "the corpse was in an advanced state of decay"; "the house had fallen into a serious state of decay and disrepair"
fall into decay or ruin; "The unoccupied house started to decay"
undergo decay or decomposition; "The body started to decay and needed to be cremated"
(often followed by `of') not aware; "seemed unaware of the scrutiny"; "unaware of the danger they were in"; "unaware of the newborn hope"; "the most unaware person I've known"