civil disobedience
noun
: refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government
Examples of civil disobedience in a Sentence
In an act of civil disobedience, the family sent its tax money to an antiwar organization.
A student organization is encouraging civil disobedience as a way to get the university to change its policies.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lennon and Yoko Ono, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger and other musicians performed as the crowd openly smoked weed in an act of civil disobedience to protest Sinclair's imprisonment.
—
Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2024
Perhaps a sustained campaign of civil disobedience would advance the cause of Palestinian liberation.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
Voting in the presidential election has seen some acts of civil disobedience, with Russia filing at least 15 criminal cases after people poured dye in ballot boxes, started fires or lobbed Molotov cocktails.
—Radina Gigova, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
The code is often cited when arresting protesters during peaceful planned acts of civil disobedience.
—Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2023
In Manhattan’s financial district, hundreds more people gathered on Monday morning for mass civil disobedience meant to rattle Biden and Wall Street into action.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 18 Sep. 2023
My mother actually ended up spending time in prison for civil disobedience.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2024
Many women in the country continue their civil disobedience by not wearing obligatory headscarves in public spaces.
—Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2023
The pair were arrested and taken into police custody for civil disobedience — but were later released.
—Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024
Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2024
Perhaps a sustained campaign of civil disobedience would advance the cause of Palestinian liberation.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
Voting in the presidential election has seen some acts of civil disobedience, with Russia filing at least 15 criminal cases after people poured dye in ballot boxes, started fires or lobbed Molotov cocktails.
—Radina Gigova, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
The code is often cited when arresting protesters during peaceful planned acts of civil disobedience.
—Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2023
In Manhattan’s financial district, hundreds more people gathered on Monday morning for mass civil disobedience meant to rattle Biden and Wall Street into action.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 18 Sep. 2023
My mother actually ended up spending time in prison for civil disobedience.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2024
Many women in the country continue their civil disobedience by not wearing obligatory headscarves in public spaces.
—Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2023
The pair were arrested and taken into police custody for civil disobedience — but were later released.
—Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civil disobedience.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near civil disobedience
Cite this Entry
“Civil disobedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20disobedience. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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