active duty


noun Military.

the status of full-time service: on active duty.
Also called active service.

Example sentences from the Web for active duty

Idioms and Phrases with active duty

active duty

Full-time service, as in Julian is 81, but he still comes to the office every day and is very much on active duty. This term comes from the military, where it stands in opposition to reserve, which refers to troops still in the military but not actively engaged. It is occasionally transferred to civilian matters as well. [First half of 1800s]