active duty

noun

, Military.

1. the status of full-time service:

   on active duty.

Idioms and Phrases

Full-time service, as in Julian is 81, but he still comes to the office every day and is very much on active duty . This term comes from the military, where it stands in opposition to reserve , which refers to troops still in the military but not actively engaged. It is occasionally transferred to civilian matters as well. [First half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

His leg injury from an accident while on active duty required about 20 surgeries, making him what he called “a professional patient.”

From Washington Post

Of note, the majority of the rioters with military backgrounds were veterans, not active duty, meaning they were not under the supervision of the Department of Defense.

From Time

Airlines said exceptions will be made for law enforcement officials with proper credentials and active duty military traveling on orders.

From Washington Post

There’s a long history in this country of both active duty military and veterans becoming radicalized.

From Time

In Trawick’s case, the NYPD said both officers remain on active duty.

From ProPublica

Active-duty spies would read him and they talked to him, and often it was hard to tell where fiction and fact diverged.

From The Daily Beast

In an active-duty force of 1.1 million, this equals a reported assault rate of 3.8 per 1,000 service members.

From The Daily Beast

He had left the active duty military and hit what he has since called his personal “rock bottom,” including a suicide attempt.

From The Daily Beast

Active-duty personnel alone amount to more than 1.3 million people, augmented by another 800,000 reservists.

From The Daily Beast

He has continued on active duty and received promotions for time served.

From The Daily Beast

In 1800 he was relieved by St Vincent, and retired from active duty after fifty-nine years' service.

From Project Gutenberg

The service now scarcely admitted it, and the active duty apparently restored his health; at all events we now hear no more of it.

From Project Gutenberg

His retirement from active duty and long delays in publication greatly handicapped him in producing a satisfactory piece of work.

From Project Gutenberg

For three years Hubert was on active duty, when he became one of the unlucky prisoners at Salisbury.

From Project Gutenberg

It had evidently been written just before Tom had been called to active duty in the trenches.

From Project Gutenberg