selective service
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of selective service
First recorded in 1919
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A vast majority of US states and territories also automatically register men for selective service when driver's licenses are issued.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
That same year, then-President Ronald Reagan, who had initially campaigned against the reinstated selective service, decided he would keep it.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
In addition to strength, stamina and ergonomic shoes, a job with the postal service requires a clean record, two years of safe driving, and a selective service registration.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2022
I was sent to wait out the remainder of the day before being taken back to my local selective service board and returning home to Southern Maryland.
From Washington Post • Mar. 5, 2022
A girls' school is a "young ladies' seminary," A Marathon man is not drafted, he is "inducted into selective service."
From Mince Pie by Morley, Christopher
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
