selective service

American  

noun

1. compulsory military service.

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selective service British  

noun

1. (formerly) compulsory military service under which men were conscripted selectively

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Etymology

Origin of selective service

First recorded in 1919

Example Sentences

A vast majority of US states and territories also automatically register men for selective service when driver's licenses are issued.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

I was sent to wait out the remainder of the day before being taken back to my local selective service board and returning home to Southern Maryland.

From Washington Post • Mar. 5, 2022

He said Den Hollander had been furious that he had not been involved in a federal selective service case that he filed with Angelucci.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2020

During the years in which the draft operated, it was largely conducted through hundreds of local selective service boards.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2016

July 20—Drawing at Washington of names for first army under selective service.

From Kelly Miller's History of the World War for Human Rights by Miller, Kelly