civil rights

plural noun

: the nonpolitical rights of a citizen
especially : the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution and by acts of Congress
was charged with violating the victim's civil rights

Examples of civil rights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Best of The Bee: Will California Assembly retail theft plan satisfy civil rights groups, Prop. 47 opponents? Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024 Reaganomics and rampant consumerism are unraveling civil rights progress as the zeitgeist has become ever more mercenary. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024 As a leading organization for social justice and civil rights, the NAACP was called on to take action and issue a response. Kyle Bowser, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024 Huerta, who turns 94 today, is a renowned American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers Union alongside Cesar Chavez. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024 The caucus is also recommending that the Sen. Frederick Malkus Memorial Bridge — which overlooks the Choptank River in Dorchester County, Maryland — be renamed after Gloria Richardson, the first woman in the U.S. to lead a grassroots civil rights organization outside of the Deep South. Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024 Founded in 1991 by Rev. Al Sharpton, NAN is considered by many, as one of the leading civil rights organizations in America. Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024 Over 44% of the complaints recorded were reported in the last three months of 2023, according to the organization’s annual civil rights report. Celina Tebor, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024 The civil rights advocacy group was itself founded as a result of the initial moment, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Sandhya Dirks, NPR, 30 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civil rights.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see civil

First Known Use

circa 1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of civil rights was circa 1614

Dictionary Entries Near civil rights

Cite this Entry

“Civil rights.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20rights. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

civil rights

noun plural
: the nonpolitical rights of a citizen
especially : the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution and by acts of Congress

More from Merriam-Webster on civil rights

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