From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmembershipmem‧ber‧ship /ˈmembəʃɪp $ -ər-/ ●●● S3 W2 noun 1 [uncountable]MEMBER when someone is a member of a club, group, or organizationmembership of Greece first applied for membership of the EU in 1975.membership in American English I forgot to renew my membership in the sailing club. You should carry your membership card with you at all times. Membership fees are being increased this year.2 [countable, uncountable]MEMBER all the members of a club, group, or organization The membership voted to change the rules about women members.GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?• In this meaning, membership is usually followed by a singular verb: The membership supports the club’s decision.• In British English, you can also use a plural verb: The membership support the club’s decision.3 [countable, uncountable]MEMBER the number of people who belong to a club, group, or organization We’re trying to increase our membership. The club has a membership of 200.COLLOCATIONSverbsapply for membership (=officially ask to be a member)To apply for membership, simply return the attached form.renew your membership (=become a member again for another period of time)Please renew your membership by January 15.terminate somebody’s membership (=stop someone being a member)His membership was terminated for ‘unprofessional conduct’.be granted membership (=be accepted as a member)Montenegro was granted membership of the UN in 2006.be refused membership (=not be accepted as a member)She was refused membership of the club because she was a woman.somebody’s membership expires/lapses (=it comes to an end)We will send you a letter when your membership is about to expire.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + membershipgym/union/party etc membership (=membership of a particular group)How much do you pay for your gym membership?full membership (=with all the rights that are allowed to members)Poland was eager to gain full membership in the European Union.associate membership (=with only some of the rights allowed to members)In the early 1990s, the Soviet Union was offered associate membership of the International Monetary Fund.honorary membership (=having been given membership as an honor)His work won him honorary membership of the London Medical Society.membership + NOUNmembership cardYou will need a valid membership card to enter the Sports Centre.a membership fee (also membership dues) (=money you must pay to become a member)The current annual membership fee is £20.
Examples from the Corpus
membership• Membership has dropped by 500,000 since 1986.• Membership is limited to the under-40s.• Today, it has a membership of over one thousand.• The Bishop's Stortford Photographic Society now has a membership of over 50.• When you join the society, you will be issued a membership card.• Obviously the veterans' association has a rather old and declining membership.• Ask at the Box Office for membership details the next time you are in town.• To qualify for membership, you must be 55 or older.• Did Winchester have a right of appeal apart from membership?• That is, membership of an exchange rate union is incompatible with the pursuit of an independent monetary policy.• What is the cost of membership?• Canada's membership of NATO• The membership of the Association totals more than 700 across the country.• The membership was totally against admitting women to the club.• Wesleyan membership in 1816 was 189,777 to which the breakaway New Connexion added only 8,146.• How have you managed to make use of your membership of the House of Lords in support of our national heritage?• Did you renew your membership in the sailing club?membership card• It contained a registration card for the Republican party and a membership card to the National Rifle Association.• Smarter people were using auto club or age-group membership cards to get their rooms at discount rates.• And there was the mystifying membership card for the Caravan Club of Great Britain.• Apart from the obvious benefits of being a Harlow Sportcentre member - an attractive personalised membership card being just one.• Club 2000 features an Access Control System which enables members to book and use facilities with a single magnetic strip membership card.• Susskind Eikhl had said that he could get me a temporary membership card in the Writers' Club.• Man at Savoy That's a Blockbuster video membership card, sir.• Once there, just show your membership card and take a locker.From Longman Business Dictionarymembershipmem‧ber‧ship /ˈmembəʃɪp-ər-/ noun [uncountable]1the fact of being a member of a club or an organizationBoth countries are now applying for membership of the European Union.2the number of people who belong to a club or an organizationTrade Union membership has declined by 5% over the last five years. 