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council member

council member

42 3.2
A person elected or chosen to serve on a council that makes local decisions
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊnsl ˈmɛmbər/
translation icon : miembro del consejo
  • The community gathered to discuss important issues with their elected council member.
  • a city council member
  • an elected council member
  • local council members

His old comrade, General Ozaro, now a council member, comes out to see him.

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Examples

  • All eyes were on the seven council members awaiting the final tally.

    Academic text (1997)
  • A lot of people in town, including all the council members, want to see that place shut down.

  • And, you know, people can get their City Council members attention, you know, and there are really, really basic things to ask for.

  • Those are town council members.

  • So, let's give the council members the benefit of the doubt for a moment.

  • My fellow Council members, as a city we continue to grow, and growth is painful.

  • You are relieved of your duties as council members effective immediately.

  • In contrast, council members generally felt their counties treated all residents fairly.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I've recommended to the council members that they put this town on alert.

  • As tribal council member Kenny Weston put it, "We have sovereignty, and we have to assert it."

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

member
vscouncil member
1.4

A person, animal, or thing that belongs to a group

is specific to elected or appointed officials in governing or advisory bodies
councilman
vscouncil member
  • US
105 4.7

A man who is on a town or city council

is the gender-neutral description for the same elected official role
alderman
vscouncil member
  • Formal
35 7.7

A member of a city council elected to represent a local area

is the general phrase for elected or appointed officials without that traditional title
councilwoman
vscouncil member
  • US
24 3.7

A woman who is a member of a local council

is the gender-neutral description for the same elected official role
councilor
vscouncil member
  • US
13 3.3

A member of a local council who helps make decisions for the community

is the broader phrase describing such elected or appointed officials
councilmember
vscouncil member
  • US
5 3.6

A person on a city or town council who helps make rules and plans

is the two-word, general form used for the same official role
alderperson
vscouncil member
  • US
1 7.2

A member of a city council who represents a local area and has a gender neutral title

is the general term for elected or appointed officials without that specific title
councilist
vscouncil member
7.6

A person elected to a council to represent a local area

is the more neutral phrase for anyone in that elected governing role

How Senior

chair
258 3.1
vice chair
10 3.5
council member
42 3.2
member
1.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

council + member

The meaning 'a person who is a member of a council' is directly and compositionally derived from 'council' (a governing/advisory group) + 'member' (a person in a group). This noun–noun combination follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern (member of X), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Council member comes from a simple image: a council is a group of people who meet to talk about local issues and a member is someone who belongs to that group. So a council member is 'a person chosen to sit with the group to advise or make rules'.