The difference between Serve and Wait

When used as nouns, serve means an act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games, whereas wait means a delay.

When used as verbs, serve means to be a formal servant for (a god or deity), whereas wait means to delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of.

check bellow for the other definitions of Serve and Wait

  1. Serve as a noun (sports):

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

    Examples:

    "Whose serve is it?"

  2. Serve as a noun (chiefly, Australia):

    A portion of food or drink, a serving.

  1. Serve as a verb (personal):

    To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity. To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by. To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc. To be a servant or worker; to perform the duties of a servant or employee; to render service. To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person.

  2. Serve as a verb (transitive, archaic):

    To treat (someone) in a given manner.

  3. Serve as a verb (transitive, archaic):

    To be suitor to; to be the lover of.

  4. Serve as a verb (transitive):

    To be useful to; to meet the needs of. To have a given use or purpose; to function something or to do something. To usefully take the place , of something else.

  5. Serve as a verb (transitive, legal):

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

    Examples:

    "to serve a witness with a subpoena"

  6. Serve as a verb (transitive, intransitive, sports):

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

  7. Serve as a verb (transitive):

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

  8. Serve as a verb (intransitive):

    To be in military service.

  9. Serve as a verb (transitive, military):

    To work, to operate (a weapon).

  10. Serve as a verb (transitive):

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

  11. Serve as a verb (nautical):

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

  12. Serve as a verb:

    To perform a public obligation.

    Examples:

    "I've received a summons for jury duty. It says I serve one day or one trial."

  1. Wait as a verb (transitive, now, rare):

    To delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)

  2. Wait as a verb (intransitive):

    To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.

    Examples:

    "'Wait here until your car arrives."

  3. Wait as a verb (intransitive, US):

    To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.

    Examples:

    "She used to wait down at the Dew Drop Inn."

  4. Wait as a verb (transitive, obsolete):

    To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.

  5. Wait as a verb (obsolete):

    To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany.

  6. Wait as a verb (obsolete, colloquial):

    To defer or postpone (especially a meal).

    Examples:

    "to wait dinner"

  7. Wait as a verb (intransitive):

    To remain celibate while one's lover is unavailable.

  1. Wait as a noun:

    A delay.

    Examples:

    "I had a very long wait at the airport security check."

  2. Wait as a noun:

    An ambush.

    Examples:

    "They lay in wait for the patrol."

  3. Wait as a noun (obsolete):

    One who watches; a watchman.

  4. Wait as a noun (in the plural, obsolete, UK):

    Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Halliwell"

  5. Wait as a noun (in the plural, archaic, UK):

    Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen. [formerly waites, wayghtes.]

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