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• member
  member

  noun

  a person, animal, plant, group, etc., that is part of a society, party, community, taxon, or other body.
• Member
  Member

  noun

  short for Member of Parliament

member

American  

[mem-ber] / ˈmɛm bər /

noun

• members
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• submember
  noun
• memberless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• members
  plural

Etymology

Origin of member

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

Explanation

If you're a member, you belong to a group or club. The late comedian Groucho Marx famously said, "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." Go figure. When an object, like a plant or an element, is a member, it's also part of a group or class. A tiger, for example, is a member of the genus called Panthera, and it's also a member of the cat family. You're a member of the human species, and if you swim competitively, you're also a member of a swim team. The United States is a member, along with 192 other countries, of the United Nations. The Latin root of member is membrum, "part," and also "limb or part of the body."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

member Member members

Beyond the dispute over Raman’s leadership of the committee, there are clear policy disagreements between the mayor and the council member over the best way to combat the crisis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

In a realistic 1870s monument for a member of the Piaggio family, a dead man’s widow, shown leaving the door of a tomb, is wearing an elaborate lace shawl and mourning through her sculpted eyelashes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Flippo’s main opponent is Teresa Benitez-Thompson, 48, a longtime Reno resident, former member of the state Assembly and a relatively moderate Democrat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Roughly 400 years ago, a member of the Indigenous Potano-Timucua tribe shaped a small clay vessel by hand.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

Kerling was also worried about another member on his team, his friend Hermann Neubauer.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

"The Fifa president was democratically elected by Fifa's Member Associations and continues to serve with their mandate," Fifa said in its statement on Saturday.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Kiera Marshall, Member of Senedd for Caerdydd Penarth said she could not believe the "level of destruction caused" to homes.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Member nations of the ICC voted to remove Khan, 82 to 13 with 15 abstentions, officials familiar with the matter said, in a tense session at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Member Brian Lee also voted no, saying: "I think this endorsement can be potentially harmful, and I cannot in good conscience vote yes."

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

In retaliation I had accused him of theft, destruction of property, and Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

The farm-equipment maker last month offered union members two years of 4% wage increases and $3,000 bonuses if they accepted the offer by the end of August.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

As the teams met for the first time since his death, in their Premier League season opener at St James' Park on Sunday, members of Keegan's family were present in the directors' box.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

They may one day go away unless community members, young and old, provide support.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Uefa led opposition to the plan, with its members voting to boycott World Cups unless it was scrapped.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Both Isaac and Amy were prominent members of the Quaker faith and supported its then-radical ideas about equality in all forms.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• male sex organ
• penis