service member

noun

variants or less commonly servicemember

ˈsər-vəs-ˌmem-bər 

plural service members also servicemembers

: a person who is a member of the armed forces

Once Federal Judge Martin Barash administered the oath of allegiance and spoke about their new responsibilities and privileges, he singled out each service member by name (the only new citizens offered this recognition), and the crowd responded with standing ovations.

—Smithsonian

For three-quarters of a century, East Helena has proudly honored servicemembers with a monument in the heart of town. And now community leaders are looking for names of area veterans as they rebuild the monument with a new design.

—Tom Kuglin

Examples of service member in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Saturday afternoon included a famed West Hollywood dive bar before the group on Sunday headed to Naval Base Coronado to mingle with service members on an aircraft carrier deck and see a NASCAR race. — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 22 June 2026

Six American service members were killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait in March. — Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 22 June 2026

Before the war, Cassidy said, the Strait of Hormuz was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions and 13 service members were still alive. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2026

Thirteen American service members were killed in Epic Fury and the war is estimated to have cost the American taxpayer well over $25 billion to date. — Justin Fishel, ABC News, 18 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for service member

• crewmember
• december
• dismember
• nonmember
• november
• remember
• september
• ember