(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 thin layer covering the surface of a liquid; "there was a thin skim of oil on the water"
used of milk and milk products from which the cream has been removed; "yogurt made with skim milk"; "she can drink skimmed milk but should avoid butter"
read superficially
remove from the surface; "skim cream from the surface of milk"
coat (a liquid) with a layer
cause to skip over a surface; "Skip a stone across the pond"
a sharp rigid animal process or appendage; as a porcupine quill or a ridge on a bone or a ray of a fish fin
the part of a book's cover that encloses the inner side of the book's pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved; "the title and author were printed on the spine of the book"
a small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf
a short strip of material attached to or projecting from something in order to facilitate opening or identifying or handling it; "pull the tab to open the can"; "files with a red tab will be stored separately"; "the collar has a tab with a button hole"; "the filing cards were organized by cards having indexed tabs"