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

About 3,000 people stuck in this pipeline are the parents, spouses and children of American service members, and some are in a camp in Qatar that closes in September. — Shawn Vandiver, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026

More than 500,000 service members were diagnosed between 2000 and 2025, with 82% of cases considered mild and not all of them related to combat. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

The pay rises approved by President Bola Tinubu will affect a quarter of a million service members. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026

According to Kemp's executive order, Feehan and three other service members were killed in an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. — Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for service member

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