member

noun

mem·​ber ˈmem-bər 

often attributive

1

: a body part or organ: such as

a

: limb

b

: penis

c

: a unit of structure in a plant body

2

: one of the individuals composing a group

3

: a person baptized or enrolled in a church

4

: a part of a whole: such as

a

: a syntactic or rhythmic unit of a sentence : clause

b

: one of the propositions of a syllogism

c

: one of the elements of a set or class

d

: either of the equated elements in a mathematical equation

Synonyms

• building block
• component
• constituent
• element
• factor
• ingredient

Choose the Right Synonym for member

part, portion, piece, member, division, section, segment, fragment mean something less than the whole.

part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required.

they ran only part of the way

portion implies an assigned or allotted part.

cut the pie into six portions

piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole.

a puzzle with 500 pieces

member suggests one of the functional units composing a body.

a structural member

division applies to a large or diversified part.

the manufacturing division of the company

section applies to a relatively small or uniform part.

the entertainment section of the newspaper

segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage.

the retired segment of the population

fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off.

only a fragment of the play still exists

Examples of member in a Sentence

The club has 300 members.

She is a member of the House of Representatives.

She is a member of Parliament.

a member of the audience

This bird is a member of the finch family.

countries that are members of the United Nations

a horizontal member of a bridge

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Recent Examples on the Web

The members of the group had a lot of different ideas about what language the lyrics should be in. —Billboard Japan, Billboard, 22 Sep. 2023

Four members of the same family had been admitted to his hospital—Aster MIMS in Kozhikode, Kerala—the previous day, all similarly sick. —WIRED, 22 Sep. 2023

Several members of the public spoke against the ordinance during the meeting, asking why the county is proposing to spend $20,000 in an effort to avoid paying about $6,500 in costs and damages awarded to Coger. —Tom Sissom, Arkansas Online, 22 Sep. 2023

A day after Lachlan Murdoch stepped up to take over as sole chairman of Fox Corp., the company is nominating two new members of its board of directors, according to a regulatory filing. —Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023

Elsewhere, Harvey Weinstein, Les Moonves and numerous members of the Trump family all mingled under the golden lights. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Sep. 2023

Their front-of-house staff was notorious for not acknowledging — and occasionally scowling at — members of the public. —Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023

Several suspects, including members of the notorious Gulf drug cartel, have since been arrested in the case. —CBS News, 10 Sep. 2023

One of these explanations is that members of Congress are staying in office for longer than ever before. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English membre, from Anglo-French, from Latin membrum; akin to Goth mimz flesh, Greek mēros thigh

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing member

• charter member
• single-member constituency
• service member
• private member
• single-member district
• private member's bill
• web member
• co-member
• multi-member district
• founding member
• multi-member constituency

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• charter member
• single-member constituency
• service member
• private member
• single-member district
• private member's bill
• web member
• co-member
• multi-member district
• founding member
• multi-member constituency

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Kids Definition

member

noun

mem·​ber ˈmem-bər 

1

: a part (as an arm, leg, leaf, or branch) of an animal or plant

2

: one of the individuals or units of a group or organization

a club member

3

: a part of a whole and especially of a structure

a horizontal member of a bridge

4

a

: the whole expression on one side or the other of a mathematical equation or inequality

b

: element sense 2b

Medical Definition

member

noun

mem·​ber ˈmem-bər 

: a body part or organ

the thyroid gland may be the offending member

—H. A. Overstreet

: as

a

: limb

b

: penis