service member

noun

variants or less commonly servicemember
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The base hosts about 30,000 service members, their family members and civilian employees, and is approximately 700 miles from the border with Russia. Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025 More Mario Tama/Getty Those service members, drawn from multiple branches, are assigned to ICE detention facilities and prohibited from direct contact with detainees or law enforcement duties. Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025 Federal agencies such as the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are required to have chaplains to ensure that service members, veterans and incarcerated people can freely practice their religion. Amy Lawton, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2025 And, when coupled with other high-profile shootings at military bases in recent years, the rarity of such incidents offers little solace to the victims and families of soldiers hurt or killed by other service members. Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for service member

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of service member was in 1955

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Cite this Entry

“Service member.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/service%20member. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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