bill of rights

noun phrase

variants or Bill of Rights

1

usually Bill of Rights : a summary of fundamental rights and privileges that a government guarantees to the people

—used especially of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution

The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans' rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the people or the States. And it specifies that "the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

—National Archives and Records Administration

2

: a document containing a formal statement of rights

a patients' bill of rights

Examples of bill of rights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Contrary to the Constitution’s separation of powers — a structural bill of rights to defend liberty and forestall tyranny — the president has metamorphosed since the Spanish-American War of 1898 into an extraconstitutional king. —Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2025

The temporary constitution, declared in March, recognizes a bill of rights, including freedom of belief and opinion and equality before the law. —Jerome Drevon, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2025

And initiatives such as the AI bill of rights and frameworks for research integrity and open science further encouraged all federal agencies to consider the social effects of their research. —Arthur Daemmrich, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025

The law expanded protections for to these people under the homeless bill of rights established in 2013. —Luke Feeney, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bill of rights

• acolytes
• ammonites
• amorites
• analytes
• andesites
• appetites
• argillites
• astrocytes
• belemnites
• bryophytes
• canaanites
• carmelites

Kids Definition

bill of rights

often capitalized B&R

: a statement of basic rights and privileges guaranteed to a people

especially : the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Legal Definition

bill of rights

-ˈrīts

often capitalized B&R

: a summary of fundamental rights and privileges guaranteed to a people against violation by the government

especially, capitalized B&R : the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution