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

During a court hearing Tuesday, family members and friends objected to the finding that Anthony Lechner was not criminally responsible, saying it was based on a doctor's report they have never been allowed to review. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

Other board members can be added as the need for additional skill sets on the board is determined. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

District officials answered questions for about an hour and were frequently met with heckles by community members. — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Aug. 2026

When Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team swept through government last year, public information about the team members and their positions was hard to come by. — Meryl Kornfield, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 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