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

That means the payments did not increase taxable wages, were not subject to federal income tax withholding, and will not appear in Box 1 of service members’ Forms W-2. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

Though things definitely look hairy in Minnesota, a significant gulf remains between non-cooperation and armed resistance from municipal and state service members. —Joe Wilkins Published Jan 22, Futurism, 22 Jan. 2026

Among the Democrats, Kelly is the only former service member to reach active-duty retirement, which requires more than 20 years of service. —Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2026

There were also three Americans, two service members and a civilian, killed in December in Syria by an Islamic State group militant. —Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for service member

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