service member

noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Thousands of other service members and their families have experienced disruptions and hurdles to medical care since changes to the military program. Jason Kane, NBC news, 26 June 2026 Inside another corner of the base, service members, Veterans, creators and gamers gathered around competition of a different kind. Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 In October 1983, a suicide bomber killed 241 American service members in Beirut. Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026 Three Democratic lawmakers introduced an amendment to a must-pass annual defense funding and policy bill that would require the Pentagon to restore mandatory flu vaccinations for service members. Steven Beynon, ABC News, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for service member

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of service member was in 1955

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Cite this Entry

“Service member.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/service%20member. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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