active duty

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noun Military.

the status of full-time service: on active duty.

Also called active service.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for active duty

ad, mobilization

Examples from the Web for active duty

Contemporary Examples of active duty

Active-duty spies would read him and they talked to him, and often it was hard to tell where fiction and fact diverged.
This Sexy Thriller Is Just the Document the Benghazi Commission Needs
Christopher Dickey
September 15, 2014
In an active-duty force of 1.1 million, this equals a reported assault rate of 3.8 per 1,000 service members.
Why These Marines Love ‘Frozen’—and Why It Matters
Aaron B. O’Connell
June 27, 2014
Active-duty personnel alone amount to more than 1.3 million people, augmented by another 800,000 reservists.
Let’s Put Things in Perspective: You’re Still Safer on a Military Base
Robert Beckhusen
April 7, 2014
The defense ministry has also announced plans to create a million-man, active-duty army by 2020.
The Return of Russian Hard Power?
Michael Weiss
November 23, 2013
There are over 200,000 active-duty women serving in the armed forces, or about 15 percent of the force.
Paul and Ted Cruz Tackle Sexual Abuse in the Military
Elise Jordan
July 16, 2013

Idioms and Phrases with active duty

active duty

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]