serve out

verb

served out; serving out; serves out
: to complete (a term in office, a prison sentence, etc.)
He was unable to serve out his five-year term as chairperson.
She was allowed to serve out her sentence in a prison close to home.

Examples of serve out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Darline Graham, who’s serving out her brother’s current term, is running for a full term with the president’s endorsement and nine Republican opponents — a few of whom actually have the resources and name recognition to compete with her. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Graham was appointed to serve out the remainder of her brother's term. — Claudia Grisales, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026 The person who wins the election will then serve out the rest of Parady’s term, which ends in July of next year. — Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 5 Aug. 2026 University spokeswoman Megan Ondrizek Afkham said the second phase of Centennial Village opens in August and will serve out-of-town freshmen, who are required to live on campus. — Miami Herald, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for serve out

Rhymes for serve out

See All Rhymes for serve out

Browse Nearby Words

serve one right
serve out
server
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Serve out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serve%20out. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All