service

Primarily used in financial and business contexts. The object is always the debt or loan itself, never the lender. Frequently appears with modal verbs and in conditional clauses ('cannot service', 'unable to service').

Common in business and professional settings. The subject is typically a company, organization, or utility provider. Can describe both human-provided work (cleaning, legal, IT) and infrastructure functions (pipes, cables serving buildings).

Subject is a transport or communication route (bus line, train, ferry, network). The object is the geographic area or community reached. Frequently combines with frequency expressions ('twice a day', 'every hour').

Commonly used in fixed prepositional phrases: 'in service' (working), 'out of service' (not working), 'put into service' (start using).

In British English, 'service station' or 'services' (plural) is common. In American English, 'rest stop' or 'gas station' is more frequent.

'Service charge' is the official amount added to the bill; 'tip' is the extra money customers choose to give. In many contexts the two words are used almost interchangeably by customers.

Frequently appears in formal contexts such as retirement speeches, award ceremonies, and CVs. Often preceded by an adjective describing the quality or duration, e.g. 'long service', 'faithful service', 'public service'.

Commonly appears as '[type] service' or '[type] services' — both singular and plural forms are used, though plural is more frequent when referring to the industry broadly (e.g. 'financial services', 'professional services').

Often used with capitalised adjectives in names of specific departments: 'the Diplomatic Service', 'the Civil Service', 'the Secret Service'. This sense refers to the department itself, not the public system (covered by sense 1).

Typically uses the plural 'services' and a possessive determiner or definite article. Less formal alternatives are 'help', 'skills', or simply naming the role ('Yan works as a translator').

Distinguish from sense 2 (IN OPERATION): sense 2 describes whether a system is currently functional, while this sense describes how well something performs over its lifetime. 'Give good service' is a fixed expression for positive long-term performance.

Now mostly found in historical contexts or fiction set in past centuries. In modern times, the equivalent terms are 'domestic worker', 'housekeeper', or 'live-in help'. The phrase 'in service' is the most common fixed expression for this sense.

Distinguish from sense 13 (ARMED FORCES): sense 13 refers to the institution itself ('the service'), while this sense refers to the period of employment or the individual's career within the military. Also distinct from sense 14 (COMBAT SERVICE), which specifically involves active fighting.

In this sense, 'the service' (singular) refers to all branches collectively, while 'the services' or 'the armed services' emphasises the separate branches. Sense 12 refers to being employed in the military as a job; this sense refers to the institution itself.

Unlike sense 13 (the institution) and sense 12 (employment in the military), this sense is specifically about active participation in warfare. Often used with 'see' or 'active' to distinguish from peacetime duty.

Often modified by a specific type (wedding service, funeral service, memorial service, communion service). When unmodified, it usually refers to regular weekly worship in Christian traditions.

In tennis, 'service' and 'serve' are used interchangeably, though 'serve' is more common as the verb. The expressions 'break service' (win a game when the opponent is serving) and 'hold service' (win a game when you are serving) are specific to tennis scoring.

Commonly combined with the type of meal or material: 'tea service', 'coffee service', 'dinner service', 'china service', 'silver service'. The word 'service' in this sense is most often used for formal or matching sets.

A 'service' for a vehicle is more thorough than a simple oil change; it typically includes checking brakes, tyres, lights, fluids, and the engine. 'Full service' and 'interim service' describe different levels of thoroughness.

Used only before a noun. The noun that follows names a part of a building or facility (elevator, entrance, corridor, area, door). This sense contrasts directly with public-facing areas of the same building. Distinguish from sense 5 (repair and maintenance): the STAFF USE sense is about access and logistics, not about fixing things.

Often replaced by the more common adjective 'serviceable' in modern English, though the shorter 'service' form survives in institutional and military contexts. The noun that follows is typically an item of clothing, equipment, or household object expected to take heavy use.

Used only before a noun. Common in economics and business writing. The nouns that follow are typically collective categories: 'service sector', 'service industry', 'service economy', 'service business'. Distinguish from sense 5 (REPAIR): sense 4 covers a broad economic classification (banking, insurance, hospitality), while sense 5 is specifically about mechanical maintenance.

Used only before a noun. Common in signage ('Service Department', 'Service Center'), job titles ('service engineer', 'service technician'), and company names. Distinguish from sense 2 (STAFF USE): sense 5 refers to the act of repairing and maintaining things, while sense 2 refers to parts of a building used by staff for logistics.