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

Without a membership, entry to the Salon costs $1,295 per person, and a Private Suite booking costs $4,950. — Lauren Harano, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026

The wholesaler's improving sales trends and stabilizing membership renewal rates reinforce our confidence in Costco. — Alexa Lomonaco,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026

For frequent fliers, an annual baseline membership starts at $1,250 and goes up to $4,850. — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 6 Nov. 2026

At the time, the co-op had 800,000 members, today, membership ranges in the millions. — Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 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