active duty

noun

: employment as a full-time member of the military
After two years of active duty she entered the reserves.

Examples of active duty in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He was awarded the Purple Heart and is back on active duty as an instructor at Fort Leavenworth. — Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026 In 2025, Hegseth told the active duty military to cut 20% of its four-star general officers and the National Guard to cut 20% of its top officials. — Chantelle Lee, Time, 30 Sep. 2026 Military service members called to active duty are also exempt. — Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Following that illustrious career at West Point, Spatola was active duty from 2002 to 2007, which included a tour during Operation Iraqi Freedom, ESPN said. — David K. Li, NBC news, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for active duty

Rhymes for active duty

See All Rhymes for active duty

Browse Nearby Words

active door
active duty
active immunity
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Active duty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/active%20duty. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All