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

The initial investigation suggested that on May 2, one service member jumped into the ocean to save the other service member who had fallen into the water off the sea cliffs by the Cap Draa Training Area outside of Tan-Tan, Morocco. —Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 10 May 2026

Bridge the Gap helps veterans, service members, and their families when federal and state programs fail to meet their needs. —Anne Brensley, Boston Herald, 9 May 2026

William Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest honor bestowed upon American service members for acts of valor. —USA Today, 6 May 2026

The next day, Iran launched a drone and missile attack on an American base in Saudi Arabia that wounded more than a dozen service members, destroyed a radar surveillance plane and damaged at least two refueling tankers. —ABC News, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for service member

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