serve up

To give people food or drink that is ready to eat or drink.

• Dad served up dinner.
• The café serves up delicious pancakes.
• What will you serve up for the guests?

How to use it: serve up something (The café serves up fresh soup every day.); serve something up (Dinner is ready; let us serve it up.)

Similar words: serve, dish up

Common phrases: serve up dinner, serve up a meal, serve up hot soup

To give or present something to people, such as information, entertainment, or something unpleasant.

• The show serves up plenty of laughs.
• The website served up the wrong search results.
• Their opponents served up another painful defeat.

How to use it: serve up something (The website serves up local news.); serve something up to someone (The platform serves useful content up to readers.)

Similar words: provide, deliver, offer

Common phrases: serve up surprises, serve up fresh content, serve up bad news

To send a ball to an opponent in a way that makes it easy to hit or take.

• He served up an easy ball.
• The pitcher served up a pitch that flew straight over the fence.
• That careless pass served the ball up to their striker.

How to use it: serve up something to someone (He served up an easy ball to the striker.); serve something up (The pitcher served it up, and the batter hit a home run.)

Common phrases: serve up a ball, serve up easy pitches