Subserve vs. Serve — What's the Difference?

Help to further or promote

Perform duties or services for (another person or an organization)

To serve to promote (an end); be useful to.

Present (food or drink) to someone

To serve to promote (an end); to be useful to.

Deliver (a document such as a summons or writ) in a formal manner to the person to whom it is addressed

To assist in carrying out.

Be of use in achieving or satisfying

To serve in subordination or instrumentally; to be subservient to; to help forward; to promote.

(in tennis and other racket sports) hit the ball or shuttlecock to begin play for each point of a game

To be subservient or subordinate; to serve in an inferior capacity.

Bind (a rope) with thin cord to protect or strengthen it.

Be helpful or useful

Operate (a gun)

(in tennis and other racket sports) an act of hitting the ball or shuttlecock to start play

A reprimand

To work for (someone) as a servant

To prepare and offer (food, for example)

To place food before (someone); wait on

To provide goods and services for (customers)

To supply (goods or services) to customers. See Usage Note at service.

To assist the celebrant during (Mass).

To meet the requirements of; suffice for

To be of assistance to or promote the interests of; aid

To work through or complete (a period of service)

To be in prison for (a period or term)

(Sports) To be removed from play for a specified period because of (a penalty).

To fight or undergo military service for

To give homage and obedience to

To act toward (another) in a specified way

To copulate with; service. Used of male animals.

To deliver or present (a process of the court, such as a summons or court order) in a manner prescribed by law to a person who is legally entitled to receive it or legally required to obey it.

To present such a process to (someone).

(Sports) To put (a ball or shuttlecock) in play, as in tennis, badminton, or jai alai.

To bind or whip (a rope) with fine cord or wire.

To be employed as a servant.

To do a term of duty

To act in a particular capacity

To be of service or use; function

To meet requirements or needs; satisfy

To wait on tables

(Sports) To hit a ball or shuttlecock as a way of starting play in court games.

To assist the celebrant during Mass.

The act or right of serving in many court games.

(sports) An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.

A portion of food or drink, a serving.

An impressive presentation (especially of a person's appearance).

(personal) To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).

(transitive) To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity.

(transitive) To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by.

(transitive) To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc.

(intransitive) To be a servant or worker; to perform the duties of a servant or employee; to render service.

(transitive) To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person.

To treat (someone) in a given manner.

To be suitor to; to be the lover of.

To be effective.

(transitive) To be useful to; to meet the needs of.

(intransitive) To have a given use or purpose; to function for something or to do something.

(intransitive) To usefully take the place as, instead of something else.

To deliver a document.

To officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.).

To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.)

To lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc.

(transitive) To copulate with (of male animals); to cover.

(intransitive) To be in military service.

To work, to operate (a weapon).

(transitive) To work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence).

(nautical) To wind spun yarn etc. tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather.

(transitive) To perform (a public obligation).

To provide crack cocaine (to), usually by selling, dealing, or distributing.

To present an attractive personal appearance.

(intransitive) To present an attractive personal appearance.

(transitive) To attractively display something (especially a body part) as part of one's personal appearance.

(transitive) To evoke something (especially a person) with one's personal appearance.

To work for; to labor in behalf of; to exert one's self continuously or statedly for the benefit of; to do service for; to be in the employment of, as an inferior, domestic, serf, slave, hired assistant, official helper, etc.; specifically, in a religious sense, to obey and worship.

To be subordinate to; to act a secondary part under; to appear as the inferior of; to minister to.

To be suitor to; to profess love to.

To wait upon; to supply the wants of; to attend; specifically, to wait upon at table; to attend at meals; to supply with food; as, to serve customers in a shop.

Hence, to bring forward, arrange, deal, or distribute, as a portion of anything, especially of food prepared for eating; - often with up; formerly with in.

To perform the duties belonging to, or required in or for; hence, to be of use to; as, a curate may serve two churches; to serve one's country.

To contribute or conduce to; to promote; to be sufficient for; to satisfy; as, to serve one's turn.

To answer or be (in the place of something) to; as, a sofa serves one for a seat and a couch.

To treat; to behave one's self to; to requite; to act toward; as, he served me very ill.

To work; to operate; as, to serve the guns.

To bring to notice, deliver, or execute, either actually or constructively, in such manner as the law requires; as, to serve a summons.

To pass or spend, as time, esp. time of punishment; as, to serve a term in prison.

To copulate with; to cover; as, a horse serves a mare; - said of the male.

To lead off in delivering (the ball).

To wind spun yarn, or the like, tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather. See under Serving.

To be a servant or a slave; to be employed in labor or other business for another; to be in subjection or bondage; to render menial service.

To perform domestic offices; to be occupied with household affairs; to prepare and dish up food, etc.

To be in service; to do duty; to discharge the requirements of an office or employment. Specifically, to act in the public service, as a soldier, seaman. etc.

To be of use; to answer a purpose; to suffice; to suit; to be convenient or favorable.

To lead off in delivering the ball.

(sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play;

Serve a purpose, role, or function;

Do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function;

Contribute or conduce to;

Be used by; as of a utility;

Help to some food; help with food or drink;

Provide (usually but not necessarily food);

Devote (part of) one's life or efforts to, as of countries, institutions, or ideas;

Promote, benefit, or be useful or beneficial to;

Spend time in prison or in a labor camp;

Work for or be a servant to;

Deliver a warrant or summons to someone;

Be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity;

Do military service;

Mate with;

Put the ball into play;