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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

The French budget deficit is set to reach 5.4% of gross domestic product this year, significantly higher than any other member of the European Union and above the bloc’s 3% limit.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Gray is a founder, scientific advisor and board member for Shenandoah Therapeutics.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

Hannah Cain was listed as a member of the practice team at Grimston Medical Centre, which reopened on Wednesday after two days of closure.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

“Where were you when the child pleaded for help?” said the family member, who attended the board meeting on the family’s behalf.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

“Replicating anything found on a Mayhem member seems like a bad idea,” Elliot said.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

City Council Member Gale Brewer, who is behind a large part of the proposed measures, said the city received 172 complaints in 2025 related to pedicabs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Member nations of the International Energy Agency, a club of Western states and their allies, agreed to release 400 million barrels onto the market in March, the biggest coordinated reserve release in the IEA’s history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

"Member states have increased their defence expenditure for a borderline country like Finland. That's a good thing," Stubb said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

“This legislation will not retire with me. Plans are already under way to ensure another Member carries this effort forward,” she said in a statement.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 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

It includes a luxurious clubhouse, a gift store and hosts frequent social events for members.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Lescure said being in the bloc comes with some difficulties, but it enables members to better address the challenges facing the world.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Horta N'Tam said the unit had been poorly organised under the previous administration but insisted none of its members had been expelled from the armed forces.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Zhao and his immediate family members will be ineligible for entry into the United States, Washington said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Once inside, the Resistance members pulled documents out of drawers, piled them up on the floor and doused them with benzene.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• male sex organ
• penis