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Showing results for membership. Search instead for membership fee.
Synonyms

membership

American  
[mem-ber-ship] / ˈmɛm bərˌʃɪp /

noun

  • memberships
    plural
  1. the state of being a member, as of a society or club.

  2. the status of a member.

  3. the total number of members belonging to an organization, society, etc.


membership British  
/ ˈmɛmbəˌʃɪp /

noun

  1. the members of an organization collectively

  2. the state of being a member

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of membership

First recorded in 1640–50; member + -ship

Explanation

Use the noun membership to describe the people who together make up a group or organization. Your secret childhood club may have had a membership consisting only of you, your brother, and your best friend. Any official group has a membership, the people who belong to it. Your high school French club has a membership, and so does the United States Congress. You can also use the word to mean "the fact of being a member," like when you brag about your membership in Mensa, the organization for people with extremely high intelligence. The root of membership is the Latin word for body part or limb, membrum.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing membership

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The group offers membership to anyone for free.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 19, 2026

“Since 2016, we’ve recruited 20,000 people that have applied for membership in the party,” Sims told me, though the party has long suffered from overstatement when it comes to self-reported membership numbers.

From Slate Sep. 18, 2026

The moves mark an expansion of Costco’s fast-delivery network, as the membership warehouse retailer ramps up its e-commerce offerings.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 18, 2026

There are two membership tiers, £5 per week for 6 items or £7.50 per week for 10 items, which includes access to chilled and cupboard food, toiletries, and household items.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

What happens between initiation and membership that transforms panic into delight?

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Netflix reported 89.6 million memberships in the U.S. and Canada at the end of 2024, the last time it broke out regional numbers.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 11, 2026

Gross margins on memberships were 89% in the nine months ended June 30, the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 3, 2026

Next week’s Don’t Short Yourself is about how shoppers can negotiate the price of almost anything: furniture, gym memberships, even college tuition.

From MarketWatch Aug. 25, 2026

Many discounts involve pairing up - 2-for-1 cinema tickets, Two-Together railcards, couples gym memberships - plus solo travellers often pay a single person supplement.

From BBC Aug. 4, 2026

About three hundred families have already bought memberships, which now cost $300,000.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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