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 returns show Reyes, who is a doctor at UC Davis Health System, set up a sole proprietorship that a campaign spokesperson said is connected to her membership on a board. —Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2026

United calculates baggage fees based on where passengers are flying, the fare class of a ticket, and any traveler membership status. —Kelly McCarthy, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026

Players try to deem themselves worthy of membership in the villainous Vicious 6 by hitting a lot of targets, which appear on screens on both sides of a curvy, moving sidewalk. —Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026

Even with membership discounts, refueling in Hong Kong cost 15% more than before the war for Jason Kan, an independent commercial consultant in the city who drives a compact hatchback. —John Liu, CNN Money, 3 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