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 service members had been conducting a key leader engagement with local partners in support of ongoing counter-ISIS operations when the attacker opened fire. —Ashley Carnahan, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025

Three other service members were injured during the incident in Palmyra, Syria, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. —Benjamin Siu, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2025

While the number of callers may not be large at this point, the fact that service members are reaching out at all reflects the confusion and worry some of them feel about what they are being ordered to do. —Ryan Lucas, NPR, 12 Dec. 2025

And last weekend, MS Now reported that on at least two occasions, Patel ordered an FBI security detail to escort one of Wilkins’ drunk friends home from the bar — a serious break from what is within the scope of a service members’ duties. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for service member

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