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

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani named long-time civil rights advocate Christine Clarke as the commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights during a press conference Wednesday. —Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026

For decades, the Jacksons have presented themselves as civil rights leaders and advocates for racial equity and justice. —Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026

Juan Williams is senior political analyst for Fox News Channel and a prize-winning civil rights historian. —Juan Williams, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026

Its past reflects our present, since the debates over tariffs and government intervention, immigration and civil rights, and the corporatization of family businesses are already century-old concerns for Stock Show attendees. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 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