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

Ten years ago, Britain chose to abandon its lucrative membership of the world’s largest single market. —Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 22 June 2026

Dining out or ordering takeout topped the list of sacrifices, followed by nights out, shopping for new clothes, daily coffee runs and even gym memberships. —Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 21 June 2026

My father never had a gym membership, did not train for marathons, swim laps or do any particular fitness routine regularly. —Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Fortune, 21 June 2026

Data Center Coalition is a membership organization advocating for data center owners and includes Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic among its members. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 21 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