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serve

verb (SPEND TIME)
 
 
/sɜːv/ US  /sɝːv/

Definition

C2 [T] to spend a period of time doing something: He served four years in prison for robbery. After he'd served his apprenticeship he found work overseas.Spending time and time passing serve time to spend time in prison: He's serving time for drugs offences.Putting people in prison
(Definition of serve verb (SPEND TIME) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
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