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 movementExamples of civil rights in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Two sides of the building are clad in giant words, the letters 5 feet tall, drawn from his 2015 speech marking the 50th anniversary of the civil rights marches from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery.
—
Susan Page, USA Today, 15 June 2026
Directed and produced by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans, the film tells the true story of Alex Odeh, a Palestinian American teacher and civil rights activist who was killed when a tripwire bomb exploded in his office.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 12 June 2026
The target of the search, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, is a civil rights organization that works to register voters and advocates for criminal and economic justice reform.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 12 June 2026
At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, exhibitions have reportedly been revised and some objects related to civil rights activism removed from public display.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
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.
Susan Page, USA Today, 15 June 2026
Directed and produced by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans, the film tells the true story of Alex Odeh, a Palestinian American teacher and civil rights activist who was killed when a tripwire bomb exploded in his office.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 12 June 2026
The target of the search, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, is a civil rights organization that works to register voters and advocates for criminal and economic justice reform.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 12 June 2026
At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, exhibitions have reportedly been revised and some objects related to civil rights activism removed from public display.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
Cite this Entry
“Civil rights.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20rights. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
