active duty

Meanings

nounactive duty (uncountable)

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

Also see

Chinese Mandarin 現役 /现役

現役 /现役 (xiànyì)(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

Dutch actieve dienst

actieve dienst(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

Estonian tegevteenistus

tegevteenistus(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

Finnish aktiivipalvelus

aktiivipalvelus(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

French service actif

service actif(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

German aktiver Dienst, militärischer Einsatz

aktiver Dienst(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
militärischer Einsatz(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

Japanese 現役

現役 (gen'eki)(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

Korean 현역

현역 (hyeonyeok)(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

Polish służba czynna

służba czynna(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

Russian действи́тельная слу́жба

действи́тельная слу́жба (dejstvítelʹnaja slúžba)(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

Ukrainian ді́йсна слу́жба

ді́йсна слу́жба (díjsna slúžba)(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

Cite this entry

APA

active duty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/active%20duty

MLA

“active duty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/active%20duty. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “active duty,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/active%20duty.