national service

British

noun

compulsory military service

"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

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.

Instead, he reasons that he might be assigned other tasks, based on the skills and experience he has gained since his national service two decades ago.

From BBC

"In the meantime, we continue to assess and take actions as necessary to maintain this vital national service."

From BBC

They can become instruments of the state and be called upon to perform national service, as investors saw during the 2008 financial crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal

Other European countries have looked to national service in response to the threat from Russia, with France, Germany and Belgium introducing schemes this year.

From Barron's

In recent weeks, both France and Germany have outlined plans for voluntary national service.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023