member
B1Neutral. Formal when referring to body parts or in technical contexts (e.g., mathematics, logic).
Definition
Meaning
An individual belonging to a group, organisation, or body.
A constituent part of a larger structure or system; (formal) a limb or other part of the body; (in mathematics) an element of a set; (in logic) a proposition in a disjunction.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used as a countable noun. The plural 'members' is far more common than the singular when referring to groups. The sense of 'a body part' is now formal or euphemistic.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. 'Member of Parliament' (MP) is a specific UK title. 'Crew member' is slightly more frequent in US English; 'team member' is equally common in both.
Connotations
Identical core connotations. In both, 'member' can be a neutral term for belonging (e.g., club member) or carry prestige (e.g., member of the Royal Society).
Frequency
Equally high-frequency in both varieties. Corpus data shows near-identical usage frequency for core meanings.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
member of [GROUP]member of the [GROUP]a [ADJ] memberbecome/be a memberVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “member for somewhere (UK political humour)”
- “a member of the family (treated as one's own)”
- “a card-carrying member (committed supporter)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to employees (staff member), participants (board member), or subscribers (member of a service).
Academic
Used for scholars in societies, elements in sets, or participants in a study cohort.
Everyday
Most common for clubs, teams, families, and online communities.
Technical
In mathematics: an element of a set. In computing: a variable or function belonging to an object/class. In biology: a limb or appendage.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- (Rare/archaic) Not in contemporary use as a verb.
American English
- (Rare/archaic) Not in contemporary use as a verb.
adverb
British English
- No adverbial form.
American English
- No adverbial form.
adjective
British English
- (Attributive only) Member state, member country, member organisation.
American English
- (Attributive only) Member bank, member institution, member agency.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- She is a member of my family.
- I want to be a member of the football club.
- Every member of the team must contribute.
- He became a member of the local gym last year.
- As a founding member, she had significant influence on the committee's direction.
- The treaty was signed by all member states.
- The researcher analysed each member of the dataset for statistical outliers.
- His status as a member of the aristocracy was both a privilege and a burden.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'MEMber' – you have to REMEMBER to include all members of your team.
Conceptual Metaphor
BELONGING IS BEING A PART OF A BODY (e.g., 'an integral member of the organisation').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'член' in its primary modern Russian sense, which is highly specific and taboo in general contexts. Use 'участник', 'член (организации)' cautiously, or 'сотрудник' for staff.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'member' uncountably (*'He is member of the club'). Always use 'a member of' or 'the member of'.
- Overusing 'member' for temporary participants; 'participant' or 'attendee' may be better.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'member' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. 'Member' is the person/part. 'Membership' is the state of being a member or the collective body of members.
Yes, in technical contexts like engineering ('structural member') or mathematics ('a member of a set').
A 'member' implies a more formal, lasting belonging to a group. A 'participant' is someone taking part in a specific activity or event, which may be temporary.
No. It must be 'He is a member of the committee' or 'He is the member of the committee' (if specifying a particular member).