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

Howard's tennis club said those actions fell short of being fully accountable for the distribution of the racist imagery, which included a graphic that depicted Ku Klux Klan hoods. — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

More images in the post showed a drawing of a Ku Klux Klan hood being shot and lists of enemy groups that included the Proud Boys, the Community of Police Supporters Northwest, and neo-Nazis. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026

These—which would soon earn its authors comparisons to Adolf Hitler, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Spanish Inquisition, and which would be called the Jurenberg Laws, reminiscent of the Nuremberg Laws—included seven points. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

The sneaker company Converse has removed a social media ad that sparked outrage among critics who viewed it as evoking the Ku Klux Klan and lynching. — Dave Collins, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 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