Civil Rights Movement

noun

variants or less commonly American Civil Rights Movement

: a movement (see movement sense 2b(1)) for racial equality in the U.S. that came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s

Examples of Civil Rights Movement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bessent, who is allowed by law to make the final decision on coin designs, opted to replace the abolition, suffrage and Civil Rights Movement coins with ones depicting the Mayflower Compact, the American Revolution and the Gettysburg Address. —Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026

Now, the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson – founded before the Civil War and bombed in 1967 amid the Civil Rights Movement – is closed indefinitely as restoration and recovery begin inside its historical walls. —Jason Carroll, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026

King became known for nonviolent resistance during the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 to 1968. —Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 17 Jan. 2026

Rather than diminish King’s accomplishment, to me, this underscores how the Civil Rights Movement wasn’t made by giants alone. —Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Civil Rights Movement

• improvement