serve out

phrasal verb

served out; serving out; serves out

: to complete (a term in office, a prison sentence, etc.)

He was unable to serve out his five-year term as chairperson.

She was allowed to serve out her sentence in a prison close to home.

Examples of serve out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The lesson: Americans seem to see a difference between Biden not being up to the job for four more years and being able to serve out the next six months. —

Aaron Blake, Washington Post, 25 July 2024 The judge sentenced him to two years on June 21 – and he was been waiting to be transferred to a different facility to serve out that sentence. —

John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 July 2024 On the other side is the faction that wants to keep the presidential candidate who almost certainly will not serve out his four-year term, leading to the ascension of an unelected president and unelected vice president. —

Rich Lowry, National Review, 9 July 2024 At the time, national coverage floated Whitmer as a possible candidate in 2024 if Biden didn't seek reelection despite her consistent commitment to serve out another four years as governor. —

Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 6 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for serve out

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