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

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

Converse is apologizing after landing in hot water this week after photos from two separate ad campaigns were criticized by social media users after aspects of the photos drew comparisons to Ku Klux Klan hoods and lynching imagery. — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026

Dearfield thrived even as Denver's Ku Klux Klan chapter grew into one of the largest in the country. — Anna Alejo, CBS News, 9 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