servo
/ˈsɜːvəʊ/
Very CommonA petrol station or service station.
Has a distinctly local flavour. In rural areas the servo is often the only shop for miles, making it a social hub as much as a fuel stop.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | gotta stop at the servo, almost out of fuel | Needs to pull in to a petrol station because the tank is nearly empty. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | servo pie at 11pm is genuinely underrated | A pie from a petrol station late at night is better than people give it credit for. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | nothing open but the servo so that's where we ended up | The petrol station was the only option available. | instagram, 2024 |
| 04 | nearest servo is like 45 mins away, outback is no joke | The closest petrol station is very far, illustrating how remote the area is. | x, 2022 |
Use it when
- Talking about stopping for fuel.
- Grabbing food or supplies from a petrol station convenience store.
- Giving directions or referring to a nearby petrol station.
Do not use it when
- Formal writing or non-Australian audiences unfamiliar with the term.Use “service station” instead.
Origin and context
Formed using the Australian -o suffix applied to service station. Part of the same pattern that gives the language arvo, maccas, and bottle-o.
- First seen
- mid-1900s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/australian-slang-servoUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0