service 1 of 3

noun

ˈsər-vəs How to pronounce service (audio)
Definition of servicenext
1
as in privilege
an act of kind assistance performed many services for the charitable organization

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in use
the capacity for being useful for some purpose that broom is worn out beyond all service

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in troops
the combined army, air force, and navy of a nation at the time the country had about a million men and women in the service

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in agency
a large unit of a governmental, business, or educational organization the OSS, the nation's wartime intelligence service

Synonyms & Similar Words

service

2 of 3

adjective

as in military
of or relating to the armed services spent his time in the army as a correspondent for service newspapers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

service

3 of 3

verb

as in to condition

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of service
Noun
Southwest Airlines is expanding its hospitality services with all-new airport lounges. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 Her services include keynote speeches, panel moderation and workshop facilitation. — Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Adjective
Across the tri-service medical corps, encompassing the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the rate of recruitment has consistently struggled to keep pace with separations. — Robert Krasner, STAT, 1 June 2026 Head to the former gas station that is Joe’s or the counter-service joint Slap’s. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
Verb
The workers are all truck drivers with industrial routes that service local hospitals. — Erika Stanish, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Piastri, Hamilton and Colapinto also served their penalties in-race by waiting five seconds in the pits before their mechanics could service the car. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for service
Recent Examples of Synonyms for service
  1. privilege
  2. use
  3. troops
  4. agency
  5. military
  6. condition
  7. kindness
  8. usefulness
Noun
  • His life has been intertwined with money, business, politics and privilege — for better or worse.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Despite this, and no matter their individual circumstances or histories, the former in-group felt that they were expected to express shame over their privilege.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of privilege
Noun
  • Before Saylor Hayes’ parents were arrested in connection with the 5-year-old girl’s death this week, the couple had been charged with child abuse and had a history of drug use, court documents show.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Koeckeritz argued that a paved parking lot is an essential accessory to its main function — worship — not the principal use of the property across the street from the towering cathedral.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of use
Noun
  • And the United States has already used up many critical munitions and strained its troops in the region by keeping the war going.
    — JAMES F. JEFFREY, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Government troops patrolled the streets, ambulances rushed to the victims, and residents ventured out assessing damage and clearing out bloodied clothes from the pavement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of troops
Noun
  • The two agencies notified several individuals in the Virginia political world that their phones had been tapped as part of the investigation into Lucas.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2026
  • While more than 100 law enforcement agencies across the country have ended their contracts with Flock Safety in recent weeks over privacy concerns, the company and the state of Georgia are deeply tied to one another.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of agency
Adjective
  • Simply put, acknowledging the reality—even if the administration won’t state it in these terms—of avoiding a further, major military campaign as the conflict drags on.
    — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The sharpest criticism of the deal came from Venezuelan opposition figures, who argue that a caretaker administration installed after a foreign military operation has no standing to sign away a century of oil rights.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of military
Verb
  • The return of service is conditioned on the reopening of Caracas’ main airport, American spokesperson Cameryn Junck said.
    — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Both formulas pair moisture-drawing glycerin with pea peptide and a trio of ceramides to condition and reinforce dry, stressed hair.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of condition
Noun
  • If someone consistently behaves with kindness, generosity, and consideration, even when these behaviors require effort or self-restraint, their motives may be less important than their actions.
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The singer was so well known for helping out that fake stories are hard to refute, because even extraordinary acts of kindness sound like something Parton would do.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of kindness
Noun
  • But, as jurors learned, the confusion surrounding the existence of the proffer and the usefulness of an interview led to the decision not to prosecute at the time.
    — John L. Smith, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The unit of value becomes the workflow, because an agent's usefulness comes from executing multistep processes across systems.
    — Emily Lewis-Pinnell, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of usefulness

Browse Nearby Words

serves
service
serviceability
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Service.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/service. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on service

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about service

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 apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

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

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All