Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

active service

British  

noun

  1. military duty in an operational area

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

Just 18 of its fleet of 34 planes are in active service, according to officials.

From Barron's Dec. 23, 2025

Washington has 11 aircraft carriers in active service, though one of them is scheduled to be decommissioned next year.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 7, 2025

Clifford had been a trooper in The Queen's Dragoon Guards, but left the Army after two years in 2022, without seeing active service.

From BBC Mar. 6, 2025

Reuters reported that Wynn, who was named to the bench by former President Barack Obama, is the first Democratic appointee to postpone their retirement from active service since Trump's win.

From Salon Dec. 16, 2024

Now that he was back in active service the “honorable war wound” was completely forgotten.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training