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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

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

• memberless adjective
• submember noun

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

Days after naming O’Neill to the CEO job, Lululemon announced a new board member: former senior Unilever executive Esi Eggleston Bracey.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

WSJ: A member of the Reese’s family has targeted Hershey, complaining that the company has watered down the recipe for some Reese’s products.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

"If LIV takes five players a year for five years, they can gut us," PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne told a senate committee in July 2023.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Rocha Moya, a member of the Sheinbaum's left-leaning Morena party and close ally of her predecessor, has governed the violent state since 2021.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Was a member of the German American Bund.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• male sex organ
• penis