active duty

American  

noun

Military.

1. the status of full-time service.

   on active duty.

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active duty Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

active duty

Veterans account for around 10% of the region's population, and many other households have active duty family members.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Many are delaying college to enter into active duty first, even if they already received acceptance letters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

The US military deployment in Germany - currently at more than 36,000 active duty troops - is by far its biggest in Europe, compared with about 12,000 in Italy and 10,000 in the UK.

From BBC ● May 2, 2026

Reduced and free admission will be available to those receiving federal food assistance and active duty personnel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

Released from active duty, Fezzik followed the wall around to a quiet place and waited.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman