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
was charged with violating the victim's civil rights

Examples of civil rights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Details from the January 24, 2023, incident eventually came to light after the two men – both of whom are Black – filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in June. Emma Tucker, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 By Nikole Hannah-Jones Five Takeaways From Nikole Hannah-Jones’s Essay on the ‘Colorblindness’ Trap How a 50-year campaign has undermined the progress of the civil rights movement. Nikole Hannah-Jones Nikole Hannah-Jones Phoebe Zerwick Sam Apple Kwame Anthony Appiah Yotam Ottolenghi Jillian Steinhauer Peter C. Baker John Hodgman, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024 All 6 are charged with threatening to commit a crime, two are charged with interference with civil rights, and one of those two was also charged with witness interference. Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024 Lawson earned two degrees from the University of Michigan, then became a lawyer, the civil rights director for John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, and a judge. Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024 Active in the civil rights movement, Lovelace O’Neal has long made work in which racial politics were embedded, even when that work was abstract. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 Dan Wakefield, the novelist and journalist who wrote about diverse topics including his journey with spirituality and the civil rights movement, died Wednesday at 91. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Officer Michael Christian Green, 26, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of acting under color of law to deprive a person of his civil rights, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Mississippi confirmed in a press release. Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Critics say these laws often use vague language that can lead to censorship and limit free speech, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights advocacy groups. Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civil rights.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see civil

First Known Use

circa 1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of civil rights was circa 1614

Dictionary Entries Near civil rights

Cite this Entry

“Civil rights.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20rights. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

civil rights

noun plural
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on civil rights

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