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
In the River District, the Center for Sacramento History offers a fascinating array of historic papers, such as the collection of civil rights attorney Nathaniel Colley.
—
Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2026
For Black voters, this history can be clearly traced back through slavery, Jim Crow, and the long obstruction of civil rights enforcement.
—Bruce Sibley, Time, 29 May 2026
Aaron Richard Russell, a former San Diego County sheriff’s deputy convicted of a federal civil rights violation for shooting an unarmed, fleeing man in the back outside the downtown San Diego jail, was sentenced Friday to 12 years in federal prison.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
Beyond entertainment, the club was a cornerstone of nightlife and a primary gathering place for Black political and community leaders to network and develop strategies related to the civil rights movement.
—Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026
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Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2026
For Black voters, this history can be clearly traced back through slavery, Jim Crow, and the long obstruction of civil rights enforcement.
—Bruce Sibley, Time, 29 May 2026
Aaron Richard Russell, a former San Diego County sheriff’s deputy convicted of a federal civil rights violation for shooting an unarmed, fleeing man in the back outside the downtown San Diego jail, was sentenced Friday to 12 years in federal prison.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
Beyond entertainment, the club was a cornerstone of nightlife and a primary gathering place for Black political and community leaders to network and develop strategies related to the civil rights movement.
—Charlotte Observer, 29 May 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 4 Jun. 2026.
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