How to Use serve a purpose in a Sentence

serve a purpose

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  • Clothes were there to serve a purpose, to stay out of my way!
    Molly Greeves, refinery29.com, 24 Mar. 2021
  • Dad hats serve a purpose, like a lathe or an Allen wrench.
    Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2021
  • Today's consumers want ads that help them and that serve a purpose.
    Beni Basel, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2021
  • Form follows function, as the adage goes, and serifs were thought to no longer serve a purpose.
    Aileen Kwun, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023
  • Adams questioned whether a harsh term would serve a purpose for Hopkins.
    John Caniglia, cleveland, 14 Oct. 2021
  • Yet so much of our way of seeing the world is founded on the assumption that animals are meant to serve a purpose.
    New York Times, 12 Apr. 2022
  • But that doesn't mean expanding the rotation doesn't serve a purpose.
    Morten Jensen, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2021
  • Reps serve a purpose at each stage during the seasonal journey.
    Outside Online, 27 May 2020
  • Both Elliott and Pollard can be effective runners and serve a purpose for the Cowboys.
    Dallas News, 4 Aug. 2022
  • Some serve a purpose that’s more than mere decoration for a floor or wall, however.
    Vanessa H. Larson, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
  • All these mental tricks and relaxation tips serve a purpose beyond that night's sleep, experts say.
    Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 13 Mar. 2022
  • Though ships now can navigate via GPS, the flashing light and bellowing horn still serve a purpose, Foregger tells his guests.
    Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024
  • That isn't to say that Walmart's stable of digital-native brands didn't serve a purpose early on.
    George Anderson, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
  • That isn't to say that Walmart's stable of digital-native brands didn't serve a purpose early on.
    George Anderson, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
  • But the briefings do serve a purpose, which is getting the administration on the record on any number of issues.
    Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2022
  • These volunteers serve a purpose greater than themselves.
    Thomas Bostick, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2023
  • And that love of telling stories — telling our stories — will always serve a purpose far more important than anything the Academy has to offer.
    Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 14 Mar. 2023
  • When styling a space, edit furniture and decor down to only the items that serve a purpose or reflect your personality.
    Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Aug. 2022
  • All those bells and whistles serve a purpose beyond blindly banging those flapper buttons until the silver ball goes bye-bye.
    Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 18 Feb. 2022
  • While the seller of this sprawling compound, who wishes to remain anonymous, might not be a doomsday prepper, all of the safe rooms and spy-like features in his residence serve a purpose.
    Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 17 May 2022
  • Designed for serious athletes, the attachments all serve a purpose, and the impressive stall force of up to 60 pounds is unrivaled in the industry.
    Stefani Sassos, M.s., R.d.n., C.s.o., C.d.n., Good Housekeeping, 16 Nov. 2022
  • The federal trial, though, may serve a purpose far beyond these defendants.
    Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, 6 Feb. 2022
  • Those hours alone serve a purpose, too: preventing the multihyphenate from burning out.
    Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 7 Sep. 2022
  • One of the biggest trends among younger finance professionals is a desire to serve a purpose beyond profits in their professional lives.
    Jeff Thomson, Forbes, 25 June 2021
  • For the most part, video games are simply another form of entertainment like movies, television and books; rarely will a video game serve a purpose other than to provide a leisurely pastime.
    Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2014
  • War appeared to serve a purpose, culling population whenever numbers rose too high.
    E O Wilson, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2012
  • Public sector employees serve a purpose greater than themselves.
    Thomas Bostick, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2023
  • Still, for those who did win, the institutional press releases and corporate Twitter statements serve a purpose.
    Patrick Frater, Variety, 10 Jan. 2022
  • In addition to her own healing, Perri hopes that the track will serve a purpose for other parents facing similar situations.
    Abigail Adams, PEOPLE.com, 24 Mar. 2022
  • All of these are automatic reactions that serve a purpose when a person is being violated.
    Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'serve a purpose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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