server

noun

serv·​er ˈsər-vər 

1

: one that serves food or drink

2

: the player who serves (as in tennis)

3

: something used in serving food or drink

4

: one that serves legal processes upon another

5

: the celebrant's assistant at mass

6

: a computer in a network that is used to provide services (such as access to files or shared peripherals or the routing of email) to other computers in the network

Synonyms

• garçon
• waiter
• waitperson

Examples of server in a Sentence

She asked our server for another glass of wine.

we had barely finished ordering when the server brought our salads

Recent Examples on the Web

In the beginning of the movie, Dreux had been working as a server at a local diner, with her eye on a new role: franchise manager. —Jordana Comiter, People.com, 2 Apr. 2025

Last month, its servers were strained by a surge in demand as users rushed to generate Studio Ghibli-style AI art. —Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025

On Tuesday, the Wikimedia Foundation announced that relentless AI scraping is putting strain on Wikipedia's servers. —ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2025

In 2017, the company tried opening a restaurant that didn’t feature servers in tight tops as a test of a different approach to its original concept. —Dee-Ann Durbin, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English server, servere, from serven "to serve entry 1" + -er, -ere -er entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing server

• ad server
• altar server
• blade server

Rhymes for server

• fervor
• fervour
• observer
• preserver

Kids Definition

server

noun

serv·​er ˈsər-vər 

1

: a person who serves food or drink

2

: the player who puts a ball in play

3

: something (as a tray) used in serving food or drink

4

: a computer in a network that is used to provide services (as access to files or the delivery of email) to other computers