selective service
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of selective service
First recorded in 1919
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.
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
And when Jimmy Carter announced the return of the selective service in 1980, in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Gil, still an underclassman, decided to take a stand: He refused to sign up.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 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
Like selective service for the armed forces, it rests on the obligation of each citizen to serve his Nation to his utmost where he is best qualified.
From State of the Union Address by Roosevelt, Franklin Delano
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
