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

Navy Federal Credit Union’s minimum loan amount is just $250 and its maximum is $150,000, but only with a co-applicant — and membership in NFCU is limited to current and former service members, Department of Defense employees and their families. — Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026

The bases seemed all but abandoned, with word among residents that American service members, a common sight in Bahrain, have all but disappeared. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

This area houses the largest naval base in the country, and with it, tens of thousands of current and former service members. — Ryan Ottignon, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2026

Foreign courts may decide divorce and custody but generally do not have jurisdiction to divide those benefits as a US court can, leaving spouses little recourse if the service member refuses to share them voluntarily. — Brianna Keilar, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for service member

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