(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"
become more intense; "The debate intensified"; "His dislike for raw fish only deepened in Japan"
make more intense, stronger, or more marked; "The efforts were intensified", "Her rudeness intensified his dislike for her"; "Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness"; "This event only deepened my convictions"
make the chemically affected part of (a negative) denser or more opaque in order produce a stronger contrast between light and dark
having or being more than normal or necessary:"long on brains"; "in long supply"
primarily spatial sense; of relatively great or greater than average spatial extension or extension as specified; "a long road"; "a long distance"; "contained many long words"; "ten miles long"
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified; "a long life"; "a long boring speech"; "a long time"; "a long friendship"; "a long game"; "long ago"; "an hour long"
(of speech sounds or syllables) of relatively long duration; " the English vowel sounds in `bate', `beat', `bite', `boat', `boot' are long"
holding securities or commodities in expectation of a rise in prices; "is long on coffee"; "a long position in gold"
involving substantial risk; "long odds"
of relatively great height; "a race of long gaunt men"- Sherwood Anderson; "looked out the long French windows"
for an extended time or at a distant time; "a promotion long overdue"; "something long hoped for"; "his name has long been forgotten"; "talked all night long"; "how long will you be gone?"; "arrived long before he was expected"; "it is long after your bedtime"
excessive or irrational devotion to some activity; "made a fetish of cleanliness"
a form of sexual desire in which gratification depends to an abnormal degree on some object or item of clothing or part of the body; "common male fetishes are breasts, legs, hair, shoes, and underwear"
the property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain; "his weakness increased as he became older"; "the weakness of the span was overlooked until it collapsed"
a penchant for something even though it might not be good for you; "he has a weakness for chocolate"
the condition of being financially weak; "the weakness of the dollar against the yen"