How to Use serve a purpose in a Sentence

serve a purpose

idiom
Definition of serve a purposenext
  • Clothes were there to serve a purpose, to stay out of my way!
    — Molly Greeves, refinery29.com, 24 Mar. 2021
  • Dad hats serve a purpose, like a lathe or an Allen wrench.
    — Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2021
  • Today's consumers want ads that help them and that serve a purpose.
    — Beni Basel, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2021
  • Form follows function, as the adage goes, and serifs were thought to no longer serve a purpose.
    — Aileen Kwun, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023
  • Adams questioned whether a harsh term would serve a purpose for Hopkins.
    — John Caniglia, cleveland, 14 Oct. 2021
  • Yet so much of our way of seeing the world is founded on the assumption that animals are meant to serve a purpose.
    — New York Times, 12 Apr. 2022
  • But that doesn't mean expanding the rotation doesn't serve a purpose.
    — Morten Jensen, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2021
  • Reps serve a purpose at each stage during the seasonal journey.
    — Outside Online, 27 May 2020
  • Both Elliott and Pollard can be effective runners and serve a purpose for the Cowboys.
    — Dallas News, 4 Aug. 2022
  • Some serve a purpose that’s more than mere decoration for a floor or wall, however.
    — Vanessa H. Larson, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
  • All these mental tricks and relaxation tips serve a purpose beyond that night's sleep, experts say.
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 13 Mar. 2022
  • Though ships now can navigate via GPS, the flashing light and bellowing horn still serve a purpose, Foregger tells his guests.
    — Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024
  • That isn't to say that Walmart's stable of digital-native brands didn't serve a purpose early on.
    — George Anderson, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
  • That isn't to say that Walmart's stable of digital-native brands didn't serve a purpose early on.
    — George Anderson, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
  • But the briefings do serve a purpose, which is getting the administration on the record on any number of issues.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2022
  • These volunteers serve a purpose greater than themselves.
    — Thomas Bostick, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2023
  • With your teams, identify frustrating rules — or policies that people perceive to be rules — that no longer serve a purpose.
    — Lisa Bodell, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
  • And that love of telling stories — telling our stories — will always serve a purpose far more important than anything the Academy has to offer.
    — Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 14 Mar. 2023
  • When styling a space, edit furniture and decor down to only the items that serve a purpose or reflect your personality.
    — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Aug. 2022
  • All those bells and whistles serve a purpose beyond blindly banging those flapper buttons until the silver ball goes bye-bye.
    — Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 18 Feb. 2022
  • While the seller of this sprawling compound, who wishes to remain anonymous, might not be a doomsday prepper, all of the safe rooms and spy-like features in his residence serve a purpose.
    — Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 17 May 2022
  • Designed for serious athletes, the attachments all serve a purpose, and the impressive stall force of up to 60 pounds is unrivaled in the industry.
    — Stefani Sassos, M.s., R.d.n., C.s.o., C.d.n., Good Housekeeping, 16 Nov. 2022
  • The federal trial, though, may serve a purpose far beyond these defendants.
    — Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, 6 Feb. 2022
  • All of that suggests that law enforcement disruption campaigns serve a purpose.
    — Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2024
  • Those hours alone serve a purpose, too: preventing the multihyphenate from burning out.
    — Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 7 Sep. 2022
  • One of the biggest trends among younger finance professionals is a desire to serve a purpose beyond profits in their professional lives.
    — Jeff Thomson, Forbes, 25 June 2021
  • For the most part, video games are simply another form of entertainment like movies, television and books; rarely will a video game serve a purpose other than to provide a leisurely pastime.
    — Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2014
  • War appeared to serve a purpose, culling population whenever numbers rose too high.
    — E O Wilson, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2012
  • Remove any that no longer serve a purpose or have become more about avoiding accountability than achieving results.
    — Curt Steinhorst, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
  • Public sector employees serve a purpose greater than themselves.
    — Thomas Bostick, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'serve a purpose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: