active duty

English

Noun

active duty (uncountable)

1. (military) A state in which person in the military performs military duties on a full-time basis, as opposed to reserve, where one only occasionally performs military duties.

   Coordinate term: reserve

   Sandie, the naval officer, left work because she had been called to active duty.

Usage notes

Generally preceded by the prepositions on or to.

Translations

active duty

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 現役／现役 (zh) (xiànyì)

• Dutch: actieve dienst f
• Estonian: tegevteenistus
• Finnish: aktiivipalvelus
• French: please add this translation if you can
• German: aktiver Dienst m, militärischer Einsatz m
• Polish: służba czynna f

Further reading

• “active duty”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.