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

Hanks, who famously portrayed service members in Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump and other films, noted that the ceremony would have marked his first time visiting West Point. —Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

This not only puts sensitive defense capabilities at risk of espionage but also directly endangers our service members. —Michael Evanoff, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Those honors traditionally consist of the playing of Taps, a flag presentation, and a detail of uniformed service members taking part in the ceremony. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025

Together, the ships are carrying 4,500 service members, including a 2,200-strong Marine expeditionary unit. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for service member

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