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

The agreement will be presented to the membership for a ratification vote on Sunday. —Christa Swanson, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026

After decades of Communism, the economy expanded; Hungary joined NATO and was on its way to full membership in the European Union. —Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026

What’s more, many innovative care models are membership-based and are not accessible to the masses. —Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 10 Apr. 2026

In exchange for membership in those clubs, students are given free access to Claude Code. —Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 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