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
His survey became ammunition for civil rights advocates and federal agencies fighting to integrate airport terminals.
—
Ron Stodghill, Miami Herald, 25 Nov. 2025
Kyle Freeny, a senior attorney with the Washington Litigation Group, is representing the civil rights groups in their lawsuit.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
By the mid-1960s, the school, located in the center of Harlem, was among the few schools in the United States to publish a yearbook directly engaged with the civil rights and Black Power discourses of the era.
—Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
After King’s assassination in 1968, Jackson became one of the most transformative civil rights leaders in America.
—Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
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Ron Stodghill, Miami Herald, 25 Nov. 2025
Kyle Freeny, a senior attorney with the Washington Litigation Group, is representing the civil rights groups in their lawsuit.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
By the mid-1960s, the school, located in the center of Harlem, was among the few schools in the United States to publish a yearbook directly engaged with the civil rights and Black Power discourses of the era.
—Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
After King’s assassination in 1968, Jackson became one of the most transformative civil rights leaders in America.
—Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
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 Nov. 2025.
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