to serve one's time
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To hold an office or appointment for the full period allowed; to go through one's apprenticeship; also, to serve one's sentence in prison.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to serve one's time” mean?
To hold an office or appointment for the full period allowed; to go through one's apprenticeship; also, to serve one's sentence in prison.
Is “to serve one's time” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.