What does "member" mean?
One who belongs to a group.
Member
/ˈmɛmbə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who belongs to a group.
- Grammar: member is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: academician, academicians, adventist, affiliate.
- Useful contrasts: external, no club, chair.
- Usage evidence: Every member of the cabinet was present.
How to use "member"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "member" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "member" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "member" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "member" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "member" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "academician" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "member", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who belongs to a group.
"“Were it not for the fancy French and Latin in it, I'd have swore it was the sort of thing I do not print as a rule, but being as how the order was from one of the members upstairs...”"
- 2 the male sex organ wordnet
- 3 A part of a whole.
"The I-beams were to become structural members of a pedestrian bridge."
- 4 an external body part that projects from the body wordnet
- 5 Part of an animal capable of performing a distinct office; an organ; a limb.
"For as we haue many members in one body, and all members haue not the same office:"
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 an organization that is a member of another organization (especially a state that belongs to a group of nations) wordnet
- 7 The penis. euphemistic
"If your wife is old and your member is exhausted, eat onions in plenty."
- 8 one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization) wordnet
- 9 One of the propositions making up a syllogism.
- 10 anything that belongs to a set or class wordnet
- 11 An element of a set.
- 12 the judge or adjudicator in a consumer court. Australia
- 13 A part of a discourse or of a period, sentence, or verse; a clause.
- 14 Either of the two parts of an algebraic equation, connected by the equality sign.
- 15 A file stored within an archive file.
"The zip file holding the source code of this application has 245 members."
- 16 A function or piece of data associated with each separate instance of a class.
Verb
- 1 Pronunciation spelling of remember. alt-of, dialectal, obsolete, pronunciation-spelling
Example
"Every member of the cabinet was present."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "member"?
Common synonyms include: academician, academicians, adventist, affiliate, affiliates, appendage.
How do you use "member" in a sentence?
Every member of the cabinet was present.
How do you pronounce "member"?
Pronounced /ˈmɛmbə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English membre, from Old French membre, from Latin membrum (“limb, body part”), from Proto-Italic *memzrom, from Proto-Indo-European *mḗms, *mēms-rom (“flesh”). Akin to Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌼𐌶 (mimz, “meat, flesh”), Crimean Gothic menus. Coexists with native limb, from Old English lim (“limb, joint, main branch”). Mostly displaced lith (“limb, joint, member”), from Old English liþ (“limb, member, join, tip”), which still survives in British dialect.
Etymology 2
Clipping of remember (by apheresis).