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Meaning & use

be of service to

phrase·Advancedformal

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UK/biː əv ˈsɜːvɪs tuː/
US/biː əv ˈsɜːrvɪs tuː/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiomformal

    to be helpful or useful to someone; to be able to help them

    Grammar: Used with 'to' plus a person: be of service to a customer. It is not used with 'for'.

    Patterns

    • be of service to someone
    • be of service to the community

    If I can be of service to you in any way, please let me know.

    The staff were polite and clearly wanted to be of service to every guest.

    This guide may be of service to anyone planning a first trip to the region.

  2. phraseidiomformal

    to be available to help someone, especially in a job or official role

    Grammar: Often used in offers and polite questions; 'How can I be of service to you?' is a fixed polite formula.

    Patterns

    • How can I be of service to you?
    • be of service to someone

    How can I be of service to you today, sir?

    The new officer said she was ready to be of service to the public.

    He asked whether he could be of service to the committee in any way.

Common combinations

be of service to someone
The volunteers were of service to families after the storm.
How can I be of service?
A clerk approached and asked, 'How can I be of service?'
be of great service to someone
Her advice was of great service to me when I moved abroad.
be of service to the community
He hoped his new business would be of service to the community.
be happy to be of service
The hotel manager said she was happy to be of service.

Synonyms and how they differ

help
The everyday verb; 'help someone' is much more common and less formal than 'be of service to someone'.
assist
Also fairly formal and means to help with a task, but it is a direct verb, so you say 'assist a customer', not 'be of service to'.
be useful to
Focuses on being useful rather than on actively helping; 'be of service to' suggests a personal willingness to help.

Opposites

be of no use tohinder

Word family

service noun
the act of helping or work done for others.
serviceable adjective
useful and able to do the job, though not of the best quality.
serving noun
an amount of food for one person, or the act of serving someone.

Commonly confused: be of service to or be in service?

be of service to vs be in service

'Be in service' means to be working as a servant or (of a machine) to be in use; it does not mean helping someone.

Practice

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