Service means helping or working for others, whether that's part of your job or something you choose to do. When a waiter provides good service at a restaurant, they bring food promptly and make sure diners have what they need. When someone does community service, they volunteer their time to help their neighborhood, like cleaning up a park or serving meals at a shelter.

The word takes on specific meanings in different situations. Military service means serving your country in the armed forces. A church service is a religious ceremony where people worship together. When your family's car needs an oil change, you take it in for service, meaning maintenance and repairs.

In sports, service means putting the ball in play, like when a tennis player serves to start a point. Service can also mean an intangible product that someone provides, like a plumber's services or a lawyer's services, as opposed to physical goods like books or bicycles.

The word connects to the idea of being useful to others. Public servants work in government service. Someone with years of service at a company has worked there a long time. At its heart, service means directing your effort and skills toward meeting someone else's needs, whether you're being paid to do it or doing it from the goodness of your heart.