membership
Americannoun
-
memberships
plural
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the state of being a member, as of a society or club.
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the status of a member.
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the total number of members belonging to an organization, society, etc.
noun
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the members of an organization collectively
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the state of being a member
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of membership
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.
Vocabulary lists containing membership
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ship
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"The MGMT Solution," Vocabulary from Chapter 10
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-ship
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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:
In Wallet, tap on the plus sign to Create a Pass, and point the camera at any ticket or membership card.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Speaking to reporters at the Toronto International Film Festival, Carney denied Canada was seeking formal membership, saying: "We share the same values. We have the same priorities, and we have very complementary strengths."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
But close ties with the EU are possible without full membership, as is the case for Iceland and Switzerland, he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Carney has instructed his special envoy to Europe to scope out the most ambitious possibilities short of full membership in the EU or its common market, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
“I’m going to cancel photo club today, but I’ll take your membership dues.”
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
Depending on your situation, this could mean canceling high-priced memberships or unnecessary subscriptions — or making bigger moves, like selling a second car or downsizing your home.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 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
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
As I sat there one of them was inflating my faked memberships into meanings of national significance.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
