Black Lives Matter

noun

: a movement founded in 2013 to end white supremacy and support Black communities

Note: Black Lives Matter was founded by Black community organizers Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi after George Zimmerman was acquitted of charges relating to his fatal shooting of Black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012; the movement expanded as people reacted to police killings of unarmed Black people in years following. The name Black Lives Matter functions as a declaration that Black people's lives have as much value as white people's lives, and as a call to end systems and practices that challenge this fact.

abbreviation BLM

Examples of Black Lives Matter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For example, programs launched in the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement have weakened. Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025 The past four decades have seen the sweep of the AIDS crisis, 9/11, numerous wars and recessions, the legalization of homosexuality in some countries, Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and the global rise of the far right. Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 June 2025 Just five years ago, when Juneteenth became a federal holiday in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests, the same entities were posting black squares on Instagram and vowing to fight inequality. Essence, 24 June 2025 The Black Lives Matter movement that had begun in Ferguson moved back onto the streets. Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for Black Lives Matter

Word History

First Known Use

2014, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Black Lives Matter was in 2014

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Cite this Entry

“Black Lives Matter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Black%20Lives%20Matter. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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