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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 order can be served by law enforcement, a paid registered process server or a third party, such as a friend or family member.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Markets will also react to Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address this morning, with the commission confirming the EU’s willingness to make Canada an associate member of the bloc.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Von der Leyen has faced pressure from member states including France, Denmark and Greece for action across the 27-nation bloc.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Finland is one of the EU's 27 member states and a close ally of Canada as a fellow Arctic nation.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

But in the USSR, by 1935 there were about 150 flying clubs that provided aviation tuition to any teenage girl or boy who was a Komsomol member.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

"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

To European leaders, Carney has even suggested Canada take on a new title: “Associate Member of the European Union.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 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

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard how Wilby spoke to Creasy about knife crime and her "failings as a Member of Parliament" before filming her, leading to members of the public intervening.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Member wives look exhausted and tired of smiling.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Commission members are not considered government employees and thus not required to file an ethics form disclosing conflicts.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026

People who live through the harrowing experience join a little-known fraternity where members get silk ties and $5,000 watches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Since then, data showing strong jobs creation and stubbornly high inflation have cemented expectations, with traders pricing a more than 90 percent chance board members choose to tighten monetary policy.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Lienhard, who has guided teams to five City Section championships, said he was thankful to his players, their parents and community members for their support.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Once they’d made it through the gates, some, including Kai, rushed off to try to reach family members in Okuma and Futaba before the tsunami did.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Related Words

• male sex organ
• penis