active duty

American

noun

Military.

the status of full-time service.

on active duty.

active duty Idioms

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

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active duty

Shaw, then still on active duty, led the American delegation.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 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

When one performer asked active duty military and veterans to stand up, nearly half the stadium appeared to rise.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

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

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

The governor sent his sons to order the men back to active duty, but the soldiers refused to go.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023