noun
Very common
services
SUR-vih-sihz
Services (noun) means a roadside stop offering fuel, food, and rest areas for travellers (chiefly UK usage). Example: “We pulled into the services for a coffee and a break.”
noun
1
A roadside stop offering fuel, food, and rest areas for travellers (chiefly UK usage).
"We pulled into the services for a coffee and a break."
"There was a long queue for the toilets at the motorway services."
"Let us stop at the next services and stretch our legs."
How to use services
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA stop along a motorway with petrol, food, and toilets.
UK vs US
This meaning is mainly British; Americans would call it a "rest stop" or "service plaza."
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Word forms
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We pulled into the _____ for a coffee and a break.
Synonyms
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service station
service area
rest stop
rest area
travel plaza
motorway services
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “services” mean?
The word “services” means a roadside stop offering fuel, food, and rest areas for travellers (chiefly UK usage). In plain terms, a stop along a motorway with petrol, food, and toilets.
How do you pronounce “services”?
“Services” is pronounced SUR-vih-sihz (/ˈsɝ.vɪ.sɪz/ in IPA).
How do you use “services” in a sentence?
Here is “services” used in a sentence: “We pulled into the services for a coffee and a break.”
What part of speech is “services”?
“Services” is a noun.
Is “services” a common word?
“Services” is a very common word in modern English.
What are motorway services?
In British usage, services — short for motorway services — is a roadside stop built for travellers on a long journey. It typically offers fuel, food outlets, toilets, parking and rest areas, and often shops, cash machines and electric-vehicle charging. Drivers pull in to refuel, eat and take a break before continuing.
What is the difference between 'services' and a 'service station'?
In Britain the two overlap, but services usually means the larger roadside complex with food, toilets, shops and rest areas as well as fuel. A service station, or petrol station, is chiefly the smaller forecourt where you buy fuel. All motorway services include fuel, but not every fuel station counts as services.
What do you find at motorway services?
A typical stop offers petrol and diesel, increasingly electric-vehicle chargers, plus toilets, cafés and fast-food outlets, a shop or two, cash machines and plenty of parking. Larger sites may also have a hotel, picnic areas and children's play areas, all aimed at helping travellers rest and refuel on a long drive.
Is 'services' in this sense British or American English?
This meaning is chiefly British. In the United Kingdom you 'stop at the services' on the motorway. American English instead uses rest stop, rest area, service plaza or travel plaza for the equivalent roadside facilities, so the word services in this sense can puzzle visitors from the US.
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