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membership

American  
[mem-ber-ship] / ˈmɛm bərˌʃɪp /

noun

  1. the state of being a member, as of a society or club.

  2. the status of a member.

  3. the total number of members belonging to an organization, society, etc.


membership British  
/ ˈmɛmbəˌʃɪp /

noun

  1. the members of an organization collectively

  2. the state of being a member

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of membership

First recorded in 1640–50; member + -ship

Explanation

Use the noun membership to describe the people who together make up a group or organization. Your secret childhood club may have had a membership consisting only of you, your brother, and your best friend. Any official group has a membership, the people who belong to it. Your high school French club has a membership, and so does the United States Congress. You can also use the word to mean "the fact of being a member," like when you brag about your membership in Mensa, the organization for people with extremely high intelligence. The root of membership is the Latin word for body part or limb, membrum.

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Vocabulary lists containing membership

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Management expects near-term pressure on membership and ad revenue growth mainly related to the movement of price-sensitive casual users, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

The membership benefit is described as: “A living archive of lectures from the grave, letters never sent, and original short stories curated by Bob Dylan.”

From Salon • May 12, 2026

Half the party's membership are in the capital and one in seven of its MPs are here.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

“We see this new CBA as a partnership with the league that benefits our membership but also seeks to make our game better,” NFL Referees Assn. president Carl Cheffers said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

Mrs. Parks had appointed Claudette youth secretary, which meant keeping attendance and membership records and putting out notices.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

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