service (services plural & 3rd person present) (servicing present participle) (serviced past tense & past participle )
For meaning 14, services is both the singular and the plural form.
1 n-count A service is something that the public needs, such as transport, communications facilities, hospitals, or energy supplies, which is provided in a planned and organized way by the government or an official body.
usu with supp
Britain still boasts the cheapest postal service..., We have started a campaign for better nursery and school services..., The authorities have said they will attempt to maintain essential services.
2 n-count You can sometimes refer to an organization or private company as a particular service when it provides something for the public or acts on behalf of the government.
oft in names
...the BBC World Service., ...Careers Advisory Services.
3 n-count If an organization or company provides a particular service, they can do a particular job or a type of work for you.
The kitchen maintains a twenty-four hour service and can be contacted via Reception..., The larger firm was capable of providing a better range of services.
4 n-plural Services are activities such as tourism, banking, and selling things which are part of a country's economy, but are not concerned with producing or manufacturing goods.
Mining rose by 9.1%, manufacturing by 9.4% and services by 4.3%.
5 n-uncount The level or standard of service provided by an organization or company is the amount or quality of the work it can do for you.
Taking risks is the only way employees can provide effective and efficient customer service...
6 n-count A bus or train service is a route or regular journey that is part of a transport system.
usu n N
A bus service operates between Bolton and Salford.
7 n-plural Your services are the things that you do or the skills that you use in your job, which other people find useful and are usually willing to pay you for.
with poss
I have obtained the services of a top photographer to take our pictures...
8 n-uncount If you refer to someone's service or servicesto a particular organization or activity, you mean that they have done a lot of work for it or spent a lot of their time on it.
also N in pl, oft N to n
You've given a lifetime of service to athletics..., ...the two policemen, who have a total of 31 years' service between them...
9 n-count TheServices are the army, the navy, and the air force.
usu pl
In June 1945, Britain still had forty-five per cent of its workforce in the Services and munitions industries.
10 n-uncount Service is the work done by people or equipment in the army, navy, or air force, for example during a war.
The regiment was recruited from the Highlands specifically for service in India.
11 n-uncount When you receive service in a restaurant, hotel, or shop, an employee asks you what you want or gives you what you have ordered.
A five-course meal including coffee, service and VAT is £30.
12 n-count A service is a religious ceremony that takes place in a church.
also no det
After the hour-long service, his body was taken to a cemetery in the south of the city.
13 n-count A dinnerservice or a teaservice is a complete set of plates, cups, saucers, and other pieces of china.
usu n N
...a 60-piece dinner service.
14 n-count A services is a place beside a motorway where you can buy petrol and other things, or have a meal.
(BRIT)
(=service station)
They had to pull up, possibly go to a motorway services or somewhere like that...
in AM, use rest area
15 n-count In tennis, badminton, and some other sports, when it is your service, it is your turn to serve.
oft with poss
She conceded just three points on her service during the first set.
16 adj Service is used to describe the parts of a building or structure that are used by the staff who clean, repair, or look after it, and are not usually used by the public.
ADJ n
He wheeled the trolley down the corridor and disappeared with it into the service lift.
17 verb If you have a vehicle or machine serviced, you arrange for someone to examine, adjust, and clean it so that it will keep working efficiently and safely.
I had had my car serviced at the local garage... have n V-ed
Make sure that all gas fires and central heating boilers are serviced annually. be V-ed, Also V n
Service is also a noun., n-count usu sing, oft N n
The car needs a service..., The company sends a service engineer to fix the disk drive before it fails.
18 verb If a country or organization services its debts, it pays the interest on them.
Almost a quarter of the country's export earnings go to service a foreign debt of $29 billion. V n
19 verb If someone or something services an organization, a project, or a group of people, they provide it with the things that it needs in order to function properly or effectively.
Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas will service our needs for some considerable time to come. V n
20
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active service
→
Civil Service
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community service
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emergency services
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in-service
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National Health Service
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national service
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public service
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room service
21 To be at the service of a person or organization means to be available to help or be used by that person or organization.
at the service of phrase PHR n, usu PHR after v
The intellectual and moral potential of the world's culture must be put at the service of politics.
22 You can use `at your service' after your name as a formal way of introducing yourself to someone and saying that you are willing to help them in any way you can.
at your service convention
(formulae)
She bowed dramatically. `Anastasia Krupnik, at your service,' she said.
23 If you do someone a service, you do something that helps or benefits them.
do someone a service phrase V inflects
You are doing me a great service, and I'm very grateful to you...
24 If a piece of equipment or type of vehicle is in service, it is being used or is able to be used. If it is out of service, it is not being used, usually because it is not working properly.
in service / out of service phrase usu PHR after v, v-link PHR
Cuts in funding have meant that equipment has been kept in service long after it should have been replaced...
25 If someone or something is of serviceto you, they help you or are useful to you.
of service phrase v-link PHR, oft PHR to n That is, after all, the primary reason we live<endash>to be of service to others.
active service
Someone who is onactive service is taking part in a war as a member of the armed forces.
(mainly BRIT) n-uncount oft on N
In April 1944 he was killed on active service...
after-sales service (after-sales services plural )A company's after-sales service is all the help and information that it provides to customers after they have bought a particular product. (BUSINESS) n-var
...a local retailer who offers a good after-sales service..., They are also attempting to keep the car buyer as a long-term customer by offering after-sales service.
Civil Service , civil service
TheCivil Service of a country consists of its government departments and all the people who work in them. In many countries, the departments concerned with military and legal affairs are not part of the Civil Service. n-sing usu the N
...a job in the Civil Service.
community service
Community service is unpaid work that criminals sometimes do as a punishment instead of being sent to prison. n-uncount
He was sentenced to 140 hours community service.
customer service
Customer service refers to the way that companies behave towards their customers, for example how well they treat them. (BUSINESS) n-uncount
...a mail-order business with a strong reputation for customer service..., The firm has an excellent customer service department.
Customs Service
TheCustoms Service is a United States federal organization which is responsible for collecting taxes on imported and exported goods. Compare Customs and Excise. n-proper
dinner service (dinner services plural )A dinner service is a set of plates and dishes from which meals are eaten and served. It may also include cups and saucers.
(BRIT) n-count
in AM, use dinnerware set
diplomatic service , Diplomatic Service
The diplomatic service is the government department that employs diplomats to work in foreign countries.
(mainly BRIT) n-proper the N
in AM, usually use foreign service
fire service (fire services plural )Thefire service is an organization which has the job of putting out fires.
(BRIT) n-count-coll usu the N
Crowds of youths prevented the fire service from dealing with the blaze.
in AM, use fire department
foreign service
The foreign service is the government department that employs diplomats to work in foreign countries.
(AM) n-sing the N
in BRIT, use diplomatic service
Inland Revenue Service
In the United States, the Inland Revenue Service is the government authority which collects taxes. The abbreviation IRS is often used. n-proper the N
in-service
If people working in a particular profession are given in-service training, they attend special courses to improve their skills or to learn about new developments in their field. adj ADJ n
...in-service courses for teachers.
lip service
If you say that someone pays lip service to an idea, you are critical of them because they say they are in favour of it, but they do not do anything to support it. n-uncount usu N to n/-ing (disapproval)
Unhappily, he had done no more than pay lip service to their views.
military service
Military service is a period of service in the armed forces that every man in certain countries has to do. n-uncount oft with poss
Many conscripts resent having to do their military service.
National Health Service
In Britain, theNational Health Service is the state system for providing medical care. It is paid for by taxes. n-proper the N
(=NHS)
An increasing number of these treatments are now available on the National Health Service.
national service
National service is service in the armed forces, which young people in certain countries have to do by law.
(mainly BRIT) n-uncount
(=military service)
Banks spent his national service in the Royal Navy.
in AM, use selective service
public service (public services plural )
1 n-count A public service is something such as health care, transport, or the removal of waste which is organized by the government or an official body in order to benefit all the people in a particular society or community.
The money is used by local authorities to pay for public services.
2 n-uncount You use public service to refer to activities and jobs which are provided or paid for by a government, especially through the civil service.
oft N n
...a distinguished career in public service.
3 adj Public service broadcasting consists of television and radio programmes supplied by an official or government organization, rather than by a commercial company. Such programmes often provide information or education, as well as entertainment.
ADJ n
4 n-uncount Public service activities and types of work are concerned with helping people and providing them with what they need, rather than making a profit.
...an egalitarian society based on cooperation and public service.
room service
Room service is a service in a hotel by which meals or drinks are provided for guests in their rooms. n-uncount
The hotel did not normally provide room service...
secret service (secret services plural )
1 n-count A country's secret service is a secret government department whose job is to find out enemy secrets and to prevent its own government's secrets from being discovered.
2 n-count Thesecret service is the government department in the United States which protects the president.
(AM)
selective service
In the United States, selective service is a system of selecting and ordering young men to serve in the armed forces for a limited period of time. n-uncount
self-service
A self-service shop, restaurant, or garage is one where you get things for yourself rather than being served by another person. adj
service area (service areas plural )A service area is a place beside a motorway where you can buy petrol and other things, or have a meal.
(BRIT) n-count
(=service station)
in AM, use rest area
service charge (service charges plural )A service charge is an amount that is added to your bill in a restaurant to pay for the work of the person who comes and serves you. n-count
Most restaurants add a 10 per cent service charge.
service industry (service industries plural )A service industry is an industry such as banking or insurance that provides a service but does not produce anything. n-count
service provider (service providers plural )A service provider is a company that provides a service, especially an Internet service. (COMPUTING) n-count
service station (service stations plural )
1 n-count A service station is a place that sells things such as petrol, oil, and spare parts. Service stations often sell food, drink, and other goods.
2 n-count A service station is a place beside a motorway where you can buy petrol and other things, or have a meal.
(BRIT)
in AM, use rest area
tea service (tea services plural )A tea service is the same as a tea set. n-count
