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 Pentagon revised its religious classifications for service members after a list that included 21 Christian denominations, with the Mormon faith in a separate category, drew criticism. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 8 June 2026

Today’s service members are professionals, many of them dedicated to a career in uniform, separated to some degree from civilian life. —Kevin Maurer, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026

The military has not executed a service member since 1961, when Pvt. —Steve Beynon, ABC News, 6 June 2026

Paula Chesley teaches yoga at a clinic for people with eating disorders, including both service members and veterans. —Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for service member

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