member

American  

[mem-ber] / ˈmɛm bər /

noun

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. 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 ² 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 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

• memberless adjective
• submember noun

Etymology

Origin of member

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

Example Sentences

In August 2007 he was named a member of the Journal's editorial board.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Nigel Stansfield, cabinet member for environment, recycling and waste at the Reform UK-led West Northamptonshire Council, attended the launch and said seeing the machine in use would help prepare for the national DRS rollout.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

That type of jet reportedly carries a standard crew of two, but it was not clear if more than one crew member ejected.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

“No one can protect themselves from their own incompetence,” a former Bondi staff member told me.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

“Because we’ve got a new team member who just flew across an ocean, and you’re treating her like day-old fish.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Related Words

• male sex organ
• penis