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

With five pools, nine restaurants, a paintball course, and tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts, every member of your family can find their happy place. —Chelsea Adams, USA Today, 20 June 2026

McMillon credits fellow co-founder Reatha Hardy-Jordan with helping grow the organization after two key members of the original leadership team relocated to Texas. —Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 20 June 2026

Also on Wednesday, paparazzi snapped photos of Kelce, his brother and assorted male friends entering a members-only restaurant and social club called Birds Streets Club on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2026

At the behest of Strathie’s family, fans also honored the longtime Tartan Army member with rousing applause in the 76th minute. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 June 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