civil rights

plural noun

: rights that citizens are guaranteed by their government through legislation or other government action to ensure equal opportunities (as for employment, education, housing, or voting) and equal protection under the law regardless of personal characteristics such as race, religion, or sex

especially : the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution and by acts of Congress

Note: The 13th Amendment (ratified 1865) abolished slavery and the 14th Amendment (ratified 1868) granted citizenship and equal rights to all people born or naturalized in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people and African Americans generally. The 15th Amendment (ratified 1870) guaranteed the right to vote regardless of color or former enslavement.

compare civil liberty see also civil rights movement

Examples of civil rights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On Thursday, federal court records show, attorneys for Marseille filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, seeking damages for what the suit contends was undue use of force. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

Defense attorney Jeremy Warren, who represents both Russell and Flores, argued in both cases that prosecutors had made unusual decisions to charge the deputies with civil rights violations for brief, one-off choices. — Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026

Lusane uses the White House as a prism through which to view African American history and civil rights struggle. — Melia Patria, ABC News, 4 July 2026

During the civil rights movement, Thurgood Marshall demonstrated that fidelity to the rule of law sometimes required challenging governments in order to preserve the Constitution's promise rather than undermine it. — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

see civil

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for civil rights

• acolytes
• ammonites
• amorites
• analytes
• andesites
• appetites
• argillites
• astrocytes
• belemnites
• bryophytes
• canaanites
• carmelites

Kids Definition

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