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 movementExamples of civil rights in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
They were also charged with civil rights violations.
—
ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
The late alerts in west Altadena, revealed by The Times in January 2025, have become the subject of multiple investigations at the state and local levels, including a civil rights inquiry launched last month by the California attorney general.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The venerated civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the UFW with Chavez and served as the union’s vice president, later came forward with her own accounts of abuse by Chavez.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Allegations that Chavez, a union and civil rights leader, abused multiple people were first reported by the New York Times earlier this month.
—Laura Fay, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
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ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
The late alerts in west Altadena, revealed by The Times in January 2025, have become the subject of multiple investigations at the state and local levels, including a civil rights inquiry launched last month by the California attorney general.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The venerated civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the UFW with Chavez and served as the union’s vice president, later came forward with her own accounts of abuse by Chavez.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Allegations that Chavez, a union and civil rights leader, abused multiple people were first reported by the New York Times earlier this month.
—Laura Fay, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
Cite this Entry
“Civil rights.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20rights. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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