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member Definition

mem·ber (mem′bər)

noun

  1. a part or organ of a human or animal body; specif.,
    1. an arm or leg
    2. the penis
  2. a part of a plant considered with regard to structure or position rather than function
    1. a distinct part or element of a whole, as of a mathematical equation, a sentence, a syllogism, a series, a building, a bridge, etc.
    2. a part or division in a system of classification species are members of a genus
  4. a person belonging to some association, society, community, party, etc.
    1. ☆ Member of Congress
    2. Member of Parliament

Etymology: ME membre < OE < L membrum < IE *mēmsro-, var. of mēmso-, flesh > Sans māṁsá-, Goth mimz, flesh

member Related Forms
mem′·bered adjective
member Synonyms

member

n.

  1. A person or group

    constituent, charter member, active member, member in good standing, honorary member, affiliate, affiliate member, brother, sister, comrade, tovarish (Russian), chapter, post, branch, lodge.

  2. A part

    portion, segment, fragment; see division 2, part 1.

  3. A part of the body

    organ, feature, segment, arm, leg; see also limb 2.

member Law Definition

n

One part of an organization or family, one person belonging to a partnership.
member Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • staff: You may be asked to complete a simple form or a member of staff may enter details directly onto the library computer system.
  • public: Such a list must be supplied to members of the public without charge.
  • team: Each week on the BBC Life of Mammals website you can read about a new member of the series production team.
  • committee: Dr. Bowen is a member of the project steering committee.
  • family: In a later outbreak, several members of a family were infected by a pet hamster.

Converse of object

  • elect: Following the recent boundary review, the Council comprises 44 elected Members representing 17 wards.
  • become: Some of the sites require you to become a member to play these online games.
  • inform: Bob informed members that John was at present working on a new portfolio to be handed out to prospective sponsors.

Adjective modifier

  • active: Joesten was also an active member of the German Communist Party.
  • senior: A senior member of staff has been suspended on full pay, pending the results of the inquiry.
  • founding: August 2002 Global Web Limited joins the e-Learning Alliance Global Web Limited is pleased to become a founding member of the Scottish e-Learning Alliance.
  • former: Attorney Mark Lane, former member of the N.Y. State Legislature, has been the leading advocate of a real investigation.
  • other: Joe Woodcock, center, with other members of the Rescue team.

Modifies a noun

  • state: It is paid by their member state of election.

Noun used with modifier

  • founder: Radio telemetry by Churchill Controls, a founder member of the Low Power Radio Association, is a.. .
  • family: Maxwell said she had taken him to a family member 's home nearby, causing the removal of Perry to last for several hours.
  • committee: AK encouraged more committee members to attend social events, noting that certain members had been noticeable by their absence at recent events.
  • crew: It now leaves just four crew members and an engine unable to turn out because it has no driver.
  • team: Keep playing, sending a different team member to explain the words on each new turn.
  • board: He is also a board member of the Firebird Trust, a leading charity in the region facilitating creative music making.
member Quotes

Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.

—Marx, Groucho originally Julius Henry Marx

What characterizes a member of a minority group isthat he is forced to see himself as both exceptional and insignificant, marvelous and awful, good and evil.

—Mailer, Norman Kingsley

I was born†with ready-made parents and a sister and brother who had already begun their store of experience, inaccessible to me except through their language and the record, always slightly different, of our mother and father, and as each member of the family wasborn, each,ina sensewithmemories onloan, began to supply the individual furnishings of each Was-land, each Is-land, and the hopes and dreams of the Future.

—Frame,Janet Paterson also known as Jean PatersonFrame

When you see how in this happy country the lowest and poorest member of society takes an interest in all public affairs; when you see how high and low, rich and poor, are all willing to declare their feelings and convictions; when you see howa carter, a common sailor, a beggar is still a man, nay, even more, an Englishmanöthen, believe me, you find yourself very differently affected fromtheexperienceyoufeelwhenstaring atoursoldiers drilling in Berlin.

—Moritz, Karl Philipp

The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.

—Mill,John Stuart

So then he said that he used to be a member of the choir himself, so who was heto cast the first rock at a girl like I.

—Loos, Anita

Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?

—Thomas,John Parnell

Social scientists could supply plenty of research to show that one member of the family, at least, is happier and more well adjusted when mum stays home and looks after the children. But that person is dadöa finding of limited use to backlash publicists.

—Faludi, Susan

A guest of one's time and not a member of the household.

—Kennan, George Frost

If you recognize anyone, it does not mean that you like him.We all, for instance, recognize the honourable Member for Ebbw Vale.

—Churchill, Lord Randolph Henry Spencer

Truth indeed came once into the world with her divine Master, and was a perfect shape most glorious to look on: but†a wicked race of deceivers†took the virgin Truth, hewed her lovely formintoathousand pieces, and scattered them to the four winds. From that time ever since, the sad friends of Truth, such as durst appear, imitating the careful search that Isis made for the mangled bodyof Osiris, went up and down gathering up limb by limb, still as they could find them.We have not yet found them all†nor ever shall do, till her Master's second coming; he shall bring together every joint and member, and shall mould them into an immortal feature of loveliness and perfection.

—Milton,John

   Parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation.You choose a Member indeed; but when you have chosen him, heisnotthe Member for Bristol, but heisa Member of Parliament.

—Burke, Edmund