membership

noun

mem·​ber·​ship ˈmem-bər-ˌship 

plural memberships

1

: the state or status of being a member

2

: the body of members

an organization with a large membership

3

mathematics : the relation between an element of a set (see set entry 2 sense 21) or class and the set or class itself compare inclusion sense 3a

Examples of membership in a Sentence

What is the cost of a one-year membership?

Membership in the club doubled last year.

clubs that are hoping to increase their membership

The club has a large membership.

clubs that are hoping to increase their memberships

Recent Examples on the Web

Exact numbers are hard to come by, but one company, Omada Health, told investors last month that its membership grew by 51% over the last year to more than a million people. —Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 14 June 2026

At the same time, consumers are weighing those purchases against Netflix subscriptions, Spotify memberships and an endless supply of free content online. —Josh Rivera, USA Today, 14 June 2026

The Directors Guild of America’s national board on Friday unanimously recommended its membership vote in favor of a four-year contract with the major studios that would increase wages, boost contributions to its health plan and establish guardrails surrounding AI technology. —Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026

Another is that Texas law accords substantial deference to private associations in their application of membership rules. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for membership

• authorship
• battleship
• censorship
• chairmanship
• chieftainship
• comradeship
• consulship
• craftsmanship
• dealership
• draftsmanship
• fellowship
• fingertip

Kids Definition

membership

noun

mem·​ber·​ship ˈmem-bər-ˌship 

1

: the state or status of being a member

2

: all the members of an organization