service member

noun

variants or less commonly servicemember
ˈsər-vəs-ˌmem-bər How to pronounce service member (audio)
plural service members also servicemembers
: a person who is a member of the armed forces
Once Federal Judge Martin Barash administered the oath of allegiance and spoke about their new responsibilities and privileges, he singled out each service member by name (the only new citizens offered this recognition), and the crowd responded with standing ovations.—Smithsonian
For three-quarters of a century, East Helena has proudly honored servicemembers with a monument in the heart of town. And now community leaders are looking for names of area veterans as they rebuild the monument with a new design.—Tom Kuglin

Examples of service member in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Broadly, errors in pay in the military are very common because service members can often gain or lose eligibility for a variety of payments depending on their deployment status, duty location or even family factors. — Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 The Pentagon is pausing guidelines for a controversial policy that has required testosterone testing for service members aged 30 and older, Reuters reports. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026 TriWest is one of the contractors that administers TRICARE, the military’s healthcare program for active-duty service members, retirees and their families. — Jason Kane, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026 The United States lost thousands of lives and spent trillions of dollars in Afghanistan and Iraq, whereas the ongoing conflict with Iran has resulted in 18 American service members killed and has likely cost tens of billions of dollars. — James F. Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for service member

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of service member was in 1955

Rhymes for service member

See All Rhymes for service member

Browse Nearby Words

service medal
service member
service module
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Service member.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/service%20member. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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