active duty

noun

: employment as a full-time member of the military
After two years of active duty she entered the reserves.

Examples of active duty 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.
When the dishwasher water couldn’t reach 160 degrees, the dishwasher was removed from active duty. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2025 Essential workers can include military personnel on active duty, law enforcement officers, and other public safety officers. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 8 Oct. 2025 Trump authorized 300 Illinois National Guard troops for active duty in Chicago, and the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, volunteered another 400 of his state’s guardsmen. Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025 All carry a five-year postgraduate active duty commitment, with three years in the reserves. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for active duty

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Active duty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/active%20duty. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!