citizenship

noun cit·i·zen·ship \ ˈsi-tə-zən-ˌship \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

1 : the status of being a citizen

He was granted U.S. citizenship.

2 a : membership in a community (such as a college)

b : the quality of an individual's response to membership in a community

The students are learning the value of good citizenship.

See citizenship defined for English-language learners

See citizenship defined for kids

Examples of citizenship in a Sentence

She applied for Polish citizenship.
He was granted U.S. citizenship.
The students are learning the value of good citizenship.

Recent Examples of citizenship from the Web

Interrogation Room: This performance piece, which takes place at a fictional processing center, makes fun of the power dynamics inherent in gaining citizenship or membership to a new space.

— david lewis, San Francisco Chronicle, "Martin Luther King event headlines S.F. International Arts Fest," 17 May 2018
The tax cuts and citizenship income could well cost more.

— The Economist, "An Italian populist government looks likely, and risky," 17 May 2018
Entire generations have been raised in the enclosure, without rights to citizenship or work in their country of refuge.

— celine semaan, The Cut, "What Self-Care Looks Like in a Refugee Camp," 15 May 2018
Cleveland Livestock Show and Dairy Day scholarships are awarded based on academic performance, leadership, citizenship and participation in the Cleveland Livestock Show.

— Houston Chronicle, "Cleveland Livestock Show scholarships awarded to Liberty County students," 14 May 2018
In past administrations, this temporary status was regularly extended, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to become de facto Americans, with legal status, jobs, and families, if not full citizenship.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Trump Explodes at Staff for Not Deporting Immigrants Faster," 11 May 2018
Kim, originally from China, is an agricultural consultant who came to America in the 1990s and later earned US citizenship.

— alex ward, Vox, "North Korea has just released 3 American hostages," 9 May 2018
The long process of joining the IDF Longtime Boise Rabbi Dan Fink has helped half a dozen people go through the arduous process to gain Israeli citizenship.

— christina lords, idahostatesman, "This Idahoan is an Israeli Lone Soldier. His brother is in the U.S. Navy. Here's their story of service. | Idaho Statesman," 1 May 2018
Pope Francis had been publicly praying and advocating for the 23-month-old boy, and the Italian government offered citizenship to the child and created a plan to take him to a Vatican hospital.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Alfie Evans dies: British toddler was at center of legal battle," 28 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'citizenship.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of citizenship

see citizen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1611

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

CITIZENSHIP Defined for English Language Learners

citizenship

noun

: the fact or status of being a citizen of a particular place
: the qualities that a person is expected to have as a responsible member of a community

CITIZENSHIP Defined for Kids

citizenship

noun cit·i·zen·ship \ ˈsi-tə-zən-ˌship \

1 : the state of being a citizen

He was granted citizenship in the United States.

2 : the behavior expected of a person as a member of a community

good citizenship

Law Dictionary

citizenship

noun cit·i·zen·ship

1 : the status of being a citizen

2 : the quality of an individual's behavior as a citizen

3 : domicile —used especially in federal diversity cases — see also diversity jurisdiction at jurisdiction

Learn More about citizenship

See words that rhyme with citizenship Spanish Central: Translation of citizenship Nglish: Translation of citizenship for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of citizenship for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about citizenship

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citizenship

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citizenship

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citizenship

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citizenship

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