membership

noun mem·ber·ship \ ˈmem-bər-ˌship \

Definition of membership

1 :the state or status of being a member

2 :the body of members

an organization with a large membership

3 :the relation between an element of a set or class and the set or class — compare inclusion 3a

See membership defined for English-language learners

See membership defined for kids

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 of membership from the Web

To be more competitive with Amazon, Google Express is scrapping the $95-a-year membership starting Wednesday, allowing shoppers to get free delivery within one to three days on orders as long as the purchase is above each store's minimum.

— anne d'innocenzio, chicagotribune.com, "Walmart dives into voice-activated shopping with Google," 23 Aug. 2017
Lakeshore Hall of Fame: On July 16, the Lakeshore Bowling Association held its annual membership meeting and announced this year's Hall of Fame class: Ken Laviolette, John Redmond Sr., and Janee Babbitt.

— johnny gorches, Post-Tribune, "Bowling notes: Highland graduate Matt Staninger wins PBA Regional," 20 Aug. 2017
Organizers have recruited a few dozen people to buy $100 memberships to the co-op.

— scott canon, kansascity, "Small towns fight to save grocery stores — and their vitality," 7 Aug. 2017
But Warner Bros. executives have been wondering if new membership expansions, which have increased the voting body to include younger members and more diversity, will boost Wonder Woman's chances.

— matt miller, Esquire, "Can Wonder Woman Be the First Comic Book Movie Nominated For the Best Picture Oscar?," 28 July 2017
A founding membership, which doesn’t require reservations, is $1,000 per year.

— lisa beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, "This Old-School L.A. Bar Now Has a Private Whiskey Lounge," 25 July 2017
During Skjellum's years as President, membership with the nonprofit grew to more than 250 businesses.

— kelly poe, AL.com, "TechBirmingham seeking new leader as president steps down," 24 July 2017
Before the protest over the male-only membership at Augusta National, Johnson was behind significant changes at the Masters.

— doug ferguson, The Seattle Times, "Hootie Johnson, former Augusta National chairman, dies," 14 July 2017
The former Vigor High School and Alabama standout is a member of the NFL's most exclusive club, boasting an even smaller membership than the place-kicker or punter fraternity.

— mark inabinett, AL.com, "Jalston Fowler knows an NFL fullback has to 'keep pushing through'," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'membership.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of membership

1643

MEMBERSHIP Defined for English Language Learners

membership

noun

Definition of membership for English Language Learners

: the state of belonging to or being a part of a group or an organization : the state of being a member
: all the people or things that belong to or are part of an organization or a group

MEMBERSHIP Defined for Kids

membership

noun mem·ber·ship \ ˈmem-bər-ˌship \

Definition of membership for Students

1 :the state or fact of belonging to a group

2 :the whole number of individuals that make up a group The membership voted to increase dues.

Learn More about membership

See words that rhyme with membership Spanish Central: Translation of membership Nglish: Translation of membership for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of membership for Arabic speakers

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membership

Definition of membership

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First Known Use of membership

MEMBERSHIP Defined for English Language Learners

membership

Definition of membership for English Language Learners

MEMBERSHIP Defined for Kids

membership

Definition of membership for Students

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membership

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Examples of membership in a Sentence

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First Known Use of membership

MEMBERSHIP Defined for English Language Learners

membership

Definition of membership for English Language Learners

MEMBERSHIP Defined for Kids

membership

Definition of membership for Students

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