member

noun

mem·​ber ˈmem-bər 

often attributive

1

: one of the individuals composing a group

a club/committee/team member

2

: a body part or organ: such as

a

: limb

b

: penis

c

: a unit of structure in a plant body

3

: a person baptized or enrolled in a church

4

: a part of a whole: such as

a

: a syntactic or rhythmic unit of a sentence : clause

b

: one of the propositions of a syllogism

c

: one of the elements of a set or class

d

: either of the equated elements in a mathematical equation

Synonyms of member

• component
• element
• factor
• ingredient

Choose the Right Synonym for member

part, portion, piece, member, division, section, segment, fragment mean something less than the whole.

part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required.

they ran only part of the way

portion implies an assigned or allotted part.

cut the pie into six portions

piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole.

a puzzle with 500 pieces

member suggests one of the functional units composing a body.

a structural member

division applies to a large or diversified part.

the manufacturing division of the company

section applies to a relatively small or uniform part.

the entertainment section of the newspaper

segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage.

the retired segment of the population

fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off.

only a fragment of the play still exists

Examples of member in a Sentence

The club has 300 members.

She is a member of the House of Representatives.

She is a member of Parliament.

a member of the audience

This bird is a member of the finch family.

countries that are members of the United Nations

a horizontal member of a bridge

Recent Examples on the Web

The move came after Black Democrats aligned with white Republican legislators to convince a federal court to create three congressional districts to elect the state’s first Black member of Congress since 1876. — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026

One hospital staff member told IRIB that many of those evacuated were critically ill. — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

The county’s choice to opt out will increase pressure on Atlanta’s school board members, who have not yet decided whether to take part. — Shaddi Abusaid, AJC.com, 16 July 2026

The actor attended the World Cup match between France and Spain at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday, July 14, where he was spotted greeting members of the famed cheer squad in a video shared on Instagram by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and the NFL. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English membre, from Anglo-French, from Latin membrum; akin to Goth mimz flesh, Greek mēros thigh

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing member

• charter member
• co-member
• crew member
• founding member
• multi-member constituency
• multi-member district
• private member
• private member's bill
• service member
• single-member constituency
• single-member district
• web member

Rhymes for member

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

Kids Definition

member

noun

mem·​ber ˈmem-bər 

1

: a part (as an arm, leg, leaf, or branch) of an animal or plant

2

: one of the individuals or units of a group or organization

a club member

3

: a part of a whole and especially of a structure

a horizontal member of a bridge

4

a

: the whole expression on one side or the other of a mathematical equation or inequality

b

: element sense 2b

Medical Definition

member

noun

mem·​ber ˈmem-bər 

: a body part or organ

the thyroid gland may be the offending member

—H. A. Overstreet

: as

a

: limb

b

: penis