English Reference

Word

member

Phoneticsmem·ber, stress on the first syllable

US/ˈmɛmbɝ/

UK/mˈɛmbɐ/

Definitions

01person in a group

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

n. a person who belongs to a group, club, or organization.

n. an individual who belongs to a specific group, society, or organization.

“She has been a member of the local tennis club for three years.”

“The committee voted to grant honorary status to any member who had served the organization for more than twenty-five years.”

Antonyms

outsidernon-member

02part of a whole

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a part of a larger structure or object.

n. a constituent part of a complex structure or a distinct part of a whole.

“The bridge collapsed because one of the steel members was weak.”

“The architect examined each structural member of the roof to ensure the weight was distributed evenly across the load-bearing walls.”

03math/logic element

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Mathematics Technical

n. an item that belongs to a set in mathematics.

n. an element or individual entity that belongs to a mathematical set or a logical group.

“The number five is a member of the set of odd numbers.”

“In this proof, we must demonstrate that every member of the first set is also contained within the second set.”

Synonyms

04computing

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Computing Technical

n. a piece of data or a function that belongs to a specific class in programming.

n. a variable or function that is part of a class or object in object-oriented programming.

“The programmer added a new member to the class to store the user's age.”

“Accessing a private member from outside the class definition will result in a compilation error in most strictly typed languages.”

05body part

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary · Formal

n. a part of the body, especially a leg or an arm.

n. a limb or organ of a human or animal body.

“He felt a strange tingling sensation in his lower members after the long hike.”

“The ancient text described the giant as having powerful members capable of moving massive stones.”

Synonyms

06euphemism for penis

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Formal

n. a polite or indirect word for the penis.

n. a euphemistic term for the penis.

“The doctor used medical terms rather than referring to his private member.”

“The author used the term 'virile member' to maintain a formal tone while describing the statue's anatomy.”

Synonyms

Collocations

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “member” in context.

01. active member

Usage

Often followed by the preposition 'of' to identify the group.

Pitfall

He is member of the club

He is a member of the club

As a countable noun, it requires an article like 'a' or 'the' when used in the singular.

Real-World Examples

“They may have been two members down, but the pop group Katseye received a hero's welcome as they played their first full concert in the UK.”
BBC 4 Sept 2026
“China has expelled Ma Xingrui, a former Politburo member, from the ruling Communist Party on corruption charges, making him the third sitting member of the elite decision-making body to be purged since 2025 as President Xi Jinping intensifies an anti-graft campaign.”
Reuters 14 Jul 2026
“U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday terminated the last three members of the Election Assistance Commission, the independent, federal commission that assists election administration officials nationwide, the White House confirmed.”
Reuters 9 Jul 2026
“The countdown peaked last week, when four of the seven members, RM, V, Jimin and Jung Kook, completed their military service.”
BBC 20 Jun 2025

Etymology

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 mimz (“meat, flesh”) and Crimean Gothic menus. The word coexists with native limb, from Old English lim (“limb, joint, main branch”), and has mostly displaced lith, from Old English liþ (“limb, member, join, tip”), which still survives in British dialect.

From remember by apheresis — the loss of the initial unstressed syllable.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

NOUN

Member(A1)

Related words

Idioms

Domains

ComputingLawLogicMathematics

This entry

Exam level
CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
Frequency
Very common
Level
A1 · BeginnerOxford
Updated

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