Ku Klux Klan

noun

ˈkü-ˈkləks-ˈklan 

also ˈkyü-

or ˈklü-

1

: a violent secret fraternal society founded in 1915 in Georgia to maintain white Protestant cultural and political power

also : any one of more than 20 hate (see hate entry 1 sense 1c) groups that associate themselves with the Ku Klux Klan

2

: a violent post-Civil War secret society founded in Tennessee in 1866 to upend the Black political and social power that was being established during Reconstruction

Note: This Ku Klux Klan had largely dissolved by the end of the 1870s.

Examples of Ku Klux Klan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But don’t forget, coming with that agenda were the most wild and hateful type of movements … the Ku Klux Klan. — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 1 May 2026

An informant for the FBI quickly identified members of the Ku Klux Klan as her killers. — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

Rummel found clippings describing the Ku Klux Klan terrorizing, kidnapping and warning African Americans in the region. — Kamal Morgan. Produced With Ai Assistance, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2026

The indictment alleges that the group, which is best known for its work to oppose the Ku Klux Klan, lied to donors about paying confidential informants to infiltrate hate groups and deceived banks about the bank accounts used to make those payments. — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 26 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for Ku Klux Klan

• businessman
• canavan
• caravan
• constantan
• dragoman
• fisherman
• handyman
• harmattan
• journeyman
• marianne
• middleman
• minivan