What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Back vs Serve - What's the difference?

back | serve | Related terms |

Back is a related term of serve.


As nouns the difference between back and serve

is that back is a small stream or brook while serve is (sports) an act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.

As a verb serve is

to provide a service .

back

English

(wikipedia back)

Etymology 1

(etyl) bak, from (etyl) 'bending'. The adverb represents an aphetic form of (aback).

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (not comparable) Near the rear.
  • * , chapter=19
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.}}
  • (not comparable) Not current.
  • (not comparable) Far from the main area.
  • In arrear; overdue.
  • back rent
  • Moving or operating backward.
  • back action
  • (comparable, phonetics) Produced in the back of the mouth.
  • Synonyms
    * (near the rear) rear * (not current) former, previous * (far from the main area) remote
    Antonyms
    * (near the rear) front * (not current) current * (far from the main area) main

    Adverb

    (further)
  • (not comparable) To or in a previous condition or place.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2 , passage=We drove back to the office with some concern on my part at the prospect of so large a case. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-08, volume=407, issue=8839, page=52, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= The new masters and commanders , passage=From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.}}
  • Away from the front or from an edge.
  • * , chapter=1
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path […]. It twisted and turned,
  • In a manner that impedes.
  • In a reciprocal manner.
  • Noun

    (en noun)
  • The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly.
  • :
  • *
  • *:It was not far from the house; but the ground sank into a depression there, and the ridge of it behind shut out everything except just the roof of the tallest hayrick. As one sat on the sward behind the elm, with the back turned on the rick and nothing in front but the tall elms and the oaks in the other hedge, it was quite easy to fancy it the verge of the prairie with the backwoods close by.
  • #The spine and associated tissues.
  • #:
  • # Large and attractive buttocks.
  • #*{{quote-book, 2002, (George Pelecanos), title= Right as Rain: A Novel, isbn=0446610798, page=123
  • , passage= He got his hand on her behind and caressed her firm, ample flesh.
  • #(lb) The part of a piece of clothing which covers the back.
  • #:
  • #The backrest, the part of a piece of furniture which receives the human back.
  • #:
  • #(lb) That part of the body that bears clothing.
  • #*{{quote-book, 1604, (William Shakespeare),
  • , passage=Do thou but think / What 'tis to cram a maw or clothe a back / From such a filthy vice}}
  • That which is farthest away from the front.
  • :
  • #The side of any object which is opposite the front or useful side.
  • #:
  • ##The edge of a book which is bound.
  • ##:
  • ##(lb) The inside margin of a page.
  • ##*, page=472, edition=1965 Ayer Publishing ed., title= A Dictionary of the Art of Printing, isbn=0833731289
  • , passage=Convenience and custom have familiarised us to the printed page being a little higher than the middle of the leaf, and to its having a little more margin at the fore edge than in the back .}}
  • ##The side of a blade opposite the side used for cutting.
  • ##:
  • #The reverse side; the side that is not normally seen.
  • #:
  • #Area behind, such as the backyard of a house.
  • #:
  • #The part of something that goes last.
  • #:
  • #(lb) In some team sports, a position behind most players on the team.
  • #:
  • #*{{quote-news, year=2010, date=December 28, author=Kevin Darlin, work=BBC
  • , title= West Brom 1-3 Blackburn , passage=
  • (lb) Upper part of a natural object which is considered to resemble an animal's back.
  • :
  • A support or resource in reserve.
  • *(William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • *:This project / Should have a back or second, that might hold, / If this should blast in proof.
  • (lb) The keel and keelson of a ship.
  • :
  • (lb) The roof of a horizontal underground passage.
  • *{{quote-book, 1911, Robert Bruce Brinsmade, title= Mining Without Timber, page=161
  • , passage=The stope is kept full of broken ore, sufficient only being drawn to leave a working space between the floor of broken ore and the back of the stope.}}
  • Effort, usually physical.
  • :
  • A non-alcoholic drink (often water or a soft drink), to go with hard liquor or a cocktail.
  • :
  • Among leather dealers, one of the thickest and stoutest tanned hides.
  • *1848 , Maine Supreme Judicial Court, Maine Reports (volume 6, page 397)
  • *:.
  • Synonyms
    * (side opposite the visible side) reverse * (rear of the body) rear, backside
    Antonyms
    * (side opposite the front or useful side) front * (that which is farthest away from the front) front
    Coordinate terms
    * (non-alcoholic drink)
    Derived terms
    * (non-alcoholic drink)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To go in the reverse direction.
  • * , chapter=1
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’
  • To support.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=June 9, author=Owen Phillips, work=BBC Sport
  • , title= Euro 2012: Netherlands 0-1 Denmark , passage=And Netherlands, backed by a typically noisy and colourful travelling support, started the second period in blistering fashion and could have had four goals within 10 minutes}}
  • (nautical, of the wind) To change direction contrary to the normal pattern; that is, to shift anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere, or clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
  • (nautical, of a square sail) To brace the yards so that the wind presses on the front of the sail, to slow the ship.
  • (nautical, of an anchor) To lay out a second, smaller anchor to provide additional holding power.
  • (UK, of a hunting dog) To stand still behind another dog which has pointed.
  • To push or force backwards.
  • to back oxen
  • (obsolete) To get upon the back of; to mount.
  • * (William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • I will back him [a horse] straight.
  • (obsolete) To place or seat upon the back.
  • * (William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • Great Jupiter, upon his eagle backed , / Appeared to me.
  • To make a back for; to furnish with a back.
  • to back books
  • To adjoin behind; to be at the back of.
  • * (William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • a gardenwith a vineyard backed
  • * (Thomas Henry Huxley) (1825-1895)
  • the chalk cliffs which back the beach
  • *
  • *:So this was my future home, I thought!Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
  • To write upon the back of, possibly as an endorsement.
  • to back''' a letter;  to '''back a note or legal document
  • (legal, of a justice of the peace) To sign or endorse (a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender).
  • To row backward with (oars).
  • to back the oars
    Antonyms
    * veer

    Derived terms

    * answer back * backache * back and forth * back away * backbeat, back beat * back-bench, backbench * back-bencher, backbencher * back benches, back-benches, backbenches * backbite * backbiter * backbiting * back-blocks * back boiler * backbone * backbreaker * backbreaking, back-breaking * back burner * backchat * back-cloth * backcomb, back-comb * back cover * back-crawl * backdate, back-date * back door * back down * back-draught * backdrop * back end * backer * backfill * backfire * back-formation * backgammon * back garden * background * backhand * backhanded, back-handed * backhander, back-hander * backing * back into * back issue * back kitchen * backlash * back-light * back-lighting * backlist * backlog * backlot * backmost * backness * back number, back-number * back of beyond * back off * back office * back of house * back of one's hand * back on to * back out * backpack, back-pack * back page * back pass * back passage * backpay, back pay * back payment * back-pedal * back-projection * backrest * back road * backroom * back row * backscatter * backscratcher * backscratching * back scrubber * back-seat driver * backshift * back-shop * backside * back sight * back-slang * backslapping, back-slapping * backslash * backslide * backsliding * backspace * backspin * back-stabbing * backstage * backstair, backstairs * backstay * backstitch * backstop * back straight * back street * back-stroke, backstroke * backswing * back to back, back-to-back * back to basics * back to front * back to nature * backtrack * back up * backup, back-up * back vowel * backward * backwards * backwash * backwater * backwoods * back yard * bad back * barback * bareback * be glad to see the back of * behind someone's back * break the back of * call back * cashback * get back at * get off someone's back * get someone's back up * give back * go behind someone's back * go to hell and back * have back * have one's back to the wall * hogback, Hog's Back * hollow back * horseback * hunchback * in back of * know like the back of one's hand * left back * look like the back end of a bus * offensive back * off the back foot * pat on the back * phone back * put on the back burner * put one's back into * put someone's back up * redback * right back * ring back * rod for one's back * running back * saddle back * set back * setback * shagger's back * stab in the back * stand back * swayback * take a back seat * there and back

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) bac.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc.
  • A ferryboat.
  • serve

    English

    (wikipedia serve)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (sports) An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
  • Whose serve is it?
  • * 1961 January 13, Marshall Smith, From Waif to a Winner, the Clown of the Courts'', '' , page 99,
  • He had no power serve of his own, no backhand, no volley, no lob, no idea of pace or tactics.
  • * 1996 , Steve Boga, Badminton , page viii,
  • The first serve of the game is from the right half court to the half diagonally opposite.
  • * 2009 , Mihnea Moldoveanu, Roger L. Martin, Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers , page 31,
  • Against a serve of the calibre of McEnroe?s, an opponent will try to anticipate the ball?s direction and lean either to the left or to the right, depending on where he feels the server will go.
  • (chiefly, Australia) A portion of food or drink, a serving.
  • * 2004 , Susanna Holt, Fitness Food: The Essential Guide to Eating Well and Performing Better , Murdoch Books Australia, page 23,
  • The night before your event, base your evening meal on high-carbohydrate foods with a small serve of lean protein.
  • * 2007 , Verity Campbell, Turkey , Lonely Planet, page 142,
  • Come here for a cappuccino that could hold its own on Via Veneto in Rome (€2) and a serve of their crunchy fresh cheese börek .
  • * 2008 , Michael E. Cichorski, Maximum Asthma Control: The Revolutionary 3-Step Anti Asthma Program , page 100,
  • Reintroduce protein; add a small serve of salmon, tuna or sardines every second day (tinned variety or fresh).
  • * 2011 , Great Britain Parliament House of Commons Health Committee, Alcohol: First Report of Session 2009-10 , Volume 2, page 189,
  • Smirnoff Appleback was a finished drink, comprising a 50ml serve of Smirnoff, with ice and lemonade or ginger ale and equating to 1.9 units.
  • * 2012 , Lesley Campbell, Alan L. Rubin, Type 2 Diabetes For Dummies , Australian Edition, page 117,
  • One serve of carbohydrates is approximately equal to a slice of bread, a piece of fruit, third of a cup of cooked rice, half a cup of grains, cereals, starchy vegetables or cooked pasta, 200 grams of plain yoghurt, or 300 millilitres of milk.

    Synonyms

    * (act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play) service * (portion of food) See serving

    Antonyms

    * receive

    Verb

    (serv)
  • To provide a service.
  • #(lb) To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity.
  • #*1889 , (Philip Schaff), translating , XIV:
  • #*:And yet this is not the office of a Priest, but of Him whom the Priest should serve .
  • #(lb) To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by.
  • #*1716 , (Joseph Addison),
  • #*:And, truly, Mrs Abigail, I must needs say, I served' my master contentedly while he was living, but I will ' serve no man living (that is, no man that is not living) without double wages.
  • #*{{quote-book, year=1959, author=(Georgette Heyer), title=(The Unknown Ajax), chapter=1
  • , passage=
  • #*1979 , (Bob Dylan), (Gotta Serve Somebody) :
  • #*:You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief, / They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief / But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
  • #(lb) To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc.
  • #*2007 , Larry McMurty, When the Light Goes
  • #*:That night Annie served him grilled halibut and English peas, plus tomatoes, of course, and a salad.
  • #(lb) To be a servant or worker; to perform the duties of a servant or employee; to render service.
  • #*1673 , (John Milton), (On His Blindness) :
  • #*:They also serve who only stand and wait.
  • #(lb) To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person.
  • #*2009 , Dominic A Pacyga, Chicago: A Biography , p.195:
  • #*:About twenty minutes after waiters served the soup, a guest got up and left.
  • *1924 ,
  • *:I mock them all who have served me ill of late and chiefly this cheat of Judah, whose temple we have plundered and whose golden vessels are my wash-pots.
  • *, III.7:
  • *:That gentle Lady, whom I loue and serue .
  • (lb) To be effective.
  • #(lb) To be useful to; to meet the needs of.
  • #*2010 October 12, Lloyd Marcus, (The Guardian)
  • #*:So, while the sycophantic liberal media calls any and all opposition to Obama racist, they give Obama carte blanche to exploit his race whenever it serves his purpose.
  • #(lb) To have a given use or purpose; to function (for) something or to do something.
  • #*2011 January 27, "Borgata bust", (The Economist)
  • #*:The bust also served to remind the public that the Mafia is not harmless.
  • #*{{quote-magazine, year=2012, month=March-April
  • , author=, volume=100, issue=2, page=171 , magazine=(American Scientist) , title= Well-connected Brains , passage=Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscience and serve as the starting point for asking questions we could not otherwise have answered,
  • #(lb) To usefully take the place (as), (instead) of something else.
  • #*
  • #*:Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out.. Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead after a sketch from a picture of a Greek warrior; and a rake-handle served as a shaft.
  • #*2010 April 20, "Not up in the air", (The Economist)
  • #*:Maybe the volcanic eruption will serve as a wake-up call to such companies that they need to modernise their risk management.
  • To deliver a document.
  • #To officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.).
  • #*2008 April, Pamela Colloff, The Fire That Time , Texas Monthly; Austin: Emmis Publishing, p.158:
  • #*:On the morning of February 28, 1993, ATF agents gathered at a staging area near Waco and prepared to serve a search warrant on the Branch Davidians' residence.
  • #To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.)
  • #:
  • *2007 , Rob Antoun, Women's Tennis Tactics , p.2:
  • *:In women's tennis the need to serve more effectively has become greater in recent years because the game is being played more aggressively, and rallies are becoming shorter as a result.
  • (lb) To copulate with (of male animals); to .
  • *1996 , Puck Bonnier et al., Dairy Cattle Husbandry , Agromisa Foundation 2004
  • *:Conception means that a cow is served by a bull and that she becomes pregnant.
  • (lb) To be in military service.
  • *2007 May 16, Peter Walker, (The Guardian)
  • *:Some reports suggested he would quit the army if he was not allowed to serve abroad in a war zone.
  • *1864 , (Horace Greeley), The American Conflict
  • *:John T. Greble, of the 2d regular artillery, was likewise killed instantly by a ball through the head, while serving his gun in the face of the foe.
  • (lb) To work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence).
  • *2010 December 1, Tania Branigan, (The Guardian)
  • *:The Guangzhou Daily reported that Shi Chunlong, 20, who organised the incident, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Hou Bin, who pulled out of the attack after helping to plan it, will serve 12 years.
  • (lb) To wind spun yarn etc. tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather.
  • Synonyms

    * (to be a servant to) attend, bestand, wait on

    Derived terms

    * serve somebody right * server * servery * service * serviced * servile

    References

    Anagrams

    * * * 1000 English basic words ----