member

American  

[mem-ber] / ˈmɛm bər /

noun

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

• memberless adjective
• submember noun

Etymology

Origin of member

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

Example Sentences

Chinese leader Xi Jinping ousted Politburo member Ma Xingrui for alleged severe violations, the third such ouster in six months.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Nigel Stansfield, cabinet member for environment, recycling and waste at the Reform UK-led West Northamptonshire Council, attended the launch and said seeing the machine in use would help prepare for the national DRS rollout.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Meanwhile, Batula’s close friend and fellow cast member Ciara Miller previously dated Wilson.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

“No one can protect themselves from their own incompetence,” a former Bondi staff member told me.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

“Was it a member of your family? Why aren’t you at the funeral?”

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson

Related Words

• male sex organ
• penis