membership

noun

mem·​ber·​ship ˈmem-bər-ˌship How to pronounce membership (audio)
plural memberships
1
: the state or status of being a member
2
: the body of members
an organization with a large membership
3
mathematics : the relation between an element of a set (see set entry 2 sense 21) or class and the set or class itself compare inclusion sense 3a

Examples of membership in a Sentence

What is the cost of a one-year membership? Membership in the club doubled last year. clubs that are hoping to increase their membership The club has a large membership. clubs that are hoping to increase their memberships
Recent Examples on the Web Between 2018 and 2021, USA Pickleball membership nearly doubled, and a 2023 report estimated that there were 8.9 million players over the age of six in the United States. George Ramsay, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 Over the past few years, the club has seen its membership based in Florida spike, Garcia tells Fortune, spurred partly by recent tax law changes in places like Washington state, which imposed a 7% capital gains tax in 2022. Byalicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 Some people online wondered if the increasingly international makeup of the Academy’s membership could have favored an Emma Stone win. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 In the Legislature, which meets for only 20 or 40 days depending on the year, a rambunctious Freedom Caucus was growing in influence — its membership increased to 26 members in 2023 from five in 2017. Kate Zernike, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 The results demonstrated that, even among IEEE’s membership, there is no clear consensus on a definition of AI. Carlos Ignacio Gutierrez, IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2024 The question of female membership had been hotly debated over the decades within the Adventurers’ Club, which was founded in 1921. Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Sweden’s membership had been held up due to objections by NATO members Turkey and Hungary. Matthew Lee, Fortune Europe, 7 Mar. 2024 Thanks for reading! —Kelly Phillips Erb (Senior Writer, Tax) Articles marked with (☆) are premium content and require you to log-in with your Forbes membership credentials. Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'membership.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of membership was in 1614

Dictionary Entries Near membership

Cite this Entry

“Membership.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/membership. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

membership

noun
mem·​ber·​ship ˈmem-bər-ˌship How to pronounce membership (audio)
1
: the state or status of being a member
2
: all the members of an organization
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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