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• member
  member

  noun

  a person, animal, plant, group, etc., that is part of a society, party, community, taxon, or other body.
• Member
  Member

  noun

  short for Member of Parliament

member

American  

[mem-ber] / ˈmɛm bər /

noun

• members
  plural

1. a person, animal, plant, group, etc., that is part of a society, party, community, taxon, or other body.

2. Government.

   1. a member of Congress, especially of the House of Representatives.

   2. a member of the British Parliament, especially of the House of Commons.

   3. any member of a legislative body.

3. a part or organ of an animal body; a limb, as a leg, arm, or wing.

4. Botany. a structural entity of a plant body.

5. the penis.

6. a constituent part of any structural or composite whole, as a subordinate architectural feature of a building.

   Synonyms:

   portion, element

7. Mathematics.

   1. either side of an equation.

   2. an element of a set.

8. Geology. a stratigraphic unit recognized within a formation, and mapped as such.

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adjective

1. being a member of or having membership in an association, organization, etc..

   member countries of the United Nations.

Member ¹ British  

/ ˈmɛmbə /

noun

1. short for Member of Parliament

2. short for Member of Congress

3. a member of some other legislative body

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member ² British  

/ ˈmɛmbə /

noun

1. a person who belongs to a club, political party, etc

2. any individual plant or animal in a taxonomic group

   a member of the species

3. any part of an animal body, such as a limb

4. another word for penis

5. any part of a plant, such as a petal, root, etc

6. maths any individual object belonging to a set or logical class

7. a distinct part of a whole, such as a proposition in a syllogism

8. a component part of a building or construction

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member Scientific  

/ mĕm′bər /

1. A quantity that belongs to a set.

2. The expression on either side of an equal sign.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• submember
  noun
• memberless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• members
  plural

Etymology

Origin of member

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English membre, from Old French, from Latin membrum

Explanation

If you're a member, you belong to a group or club. The late comedian Groucho Marx famously said, "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." Go figure. When an object, like a plant or an element, is a member, it's also part of a group or class. A tiger, for example, is a member of the genus called Panthera, and it's also a member of the cat family. You're a member of the human species, and if you swim competitively, you're also a member of a swim team. The United States is a member, along with 192 other countries, of the United Nations. The Latin root of member is membrum, "part," and also "limb or part of the body."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

member Member members

The emergency meeting between EU member states and the European Commission is scheduled for early in the day, a Commission spokesperson said late Thursday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Ritter, who was also a prominent member of a number of brass bands, was asked to stand up and, when asked how he pleaded, he said "guilty".

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

He is now running for state assembly in the district against an outgoing council member, Republican Gracey Van Der Mark, who led the effort to restrict books.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

If I were a member of Congress, I could introduce a bill with two clauses: one a statement supporting America’s moms, and another forcing everyone to eat kale.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

It is believed that Villalobos is responsible for giving the Philippines its name in 1543, though it may have been a member of his crew.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

"What he has exposed is very important. In Portugal, definitely he is by far the most important whistleblower," the former Member of the European Parliament told us in Lisbon.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

"Member states have increased their defence expenditure for a borderline country like Finland. That's a good thing," Stubb said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

“This legislation will not retire with me. Plans are already under way to ensure another Member carries this effort forward,” she said in a statement.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

"Where members believe a decision has been made in error, they can appeal and each case will be reviewed individually by our Member Support Team," a Vinted spokesperson said.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

I was being charged with Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Ap Iorwerth will address party members in Llandudno on Friday, five months on from Plaid's historic success at May's Senedd election.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Eric Brenner, a lawyer representing fund board members who were fired or resigned, said Breakthrough and the T1D Fund were always separate, with their own boards and officers to ensure independent financial oversight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Community members are expected to gather Thursday evening for a vigil mourning a student who fell to his death at Benjamin Franklin High School.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The Securities and Exchange Commission has just proposed allowing fund managers to charge members of the public extra “performance fees” if they do well.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

Commander Kane organized crew members to journey far from the ship.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• male sex organ
• penis