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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 two movements overlap heavily in membership and ideas, sharing an emphasis on reasoning through evidence and probabilities, and a conviction that preventing human extinction should be a top priority.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Events manager Cordelia Sheridan, 27, who exercises four to five times a week at her gym in Battersea, says she treats her £45 gym membership "like an essential utility bill".

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

They were also focused on membership renewal rates.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

According to Southern Section’s Blue Book rule 500.5, “Any school knowingly or unknowingly violating the rule may be suspended from membership in the CIF Southern Section.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Although membership was voluntary, not every child could join the Hitler Youth.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Medicare Advantage’s benefits can include no monthly premiums, out-of-pocket maximums, dental and vision coverage and gym memberships.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

The golf course was built in the mid-1920s by Woodland Hills developer Victor Giraud, who gave away free club memberships to people buying lots in his housing tract.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Costco is gearing up to enter a huge new business as it tries to enhance the allure of its memberships: Medicare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 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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