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

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

Against the backdrop of an unpopular war in Iran, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on July 15, 2026, that the Pentagon would begin testing male service members 30 and older for low testosterone. — Matthew N. Hannah, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026

That count includes troops who died in medical events and other situations that do not have a direct connection to the conflict, with 18 service members having been killed from Iranian strikes, combat aircraft crashes or disposal of Iranian drones. — Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026

The Pentagon’s official tally lists 21 service members killed and 865 wounded in the conflict. — Ben Finley, Chicago Tribune, 28 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