civil defense
noun
: the system of protective measures and emergency relief activities conducted by civilians in case of hostile attack, sabotage, or natural disaster
Examples of civil defense in a Sentence
She's in training to be part of the local civil defense.
the head of civil defense
Recent Examples on the Web
The five-day war games will be happening in conjunction with the Wan'an civil defense drills, where the streets of major cities are evacuated for half an hour during a simulated Chinese missile attack, and test warning alarms will sound on mobile phones.
—
Fox News, 22 July 2024
Later on Saturday, in Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp, strikes killed 22 people in a makeshift mosque, according to Mahmoud Basal, a civil defense spokesman.
—Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 19 July 2024
The following day, the Holy Family school in Gaza City, where Israeli forces have expanded operations in recent days, was hit in a separate strike, Gaza's civil defense agency said in a post on Telegram on Sunday.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 10 July 2024
But the United States should also help Taiwan establish a robust civil defense program and create strategic reserves of food and energy to bolster deterrence and, if China invades, enable Taiwan to hold out until U.S. forces arrive.
—Bonnie S. Glaser, Foreign Affairs, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for civil defense 
Fox News, 22 July 2024
Later on Saturday, in Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp, strikes killed 22 people in a makeshift mosque, according to Mahmoud Basal, a civil defense spokesman.
—Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 19 July 2024
The following day, the Holy Family school in Gaza City, where Israeli forces have expanded operations in recent days, was hit in a separate strike, Gaza's civil defense agency said in a post on Telegram on Sunday.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 10 July 2024
But the United States should also help Taiwan establish a robust civil defense program and create strategic reserves of food and energy to bolster deterrence and, if China invades, enable Taiwan to hold out until U.S. forces arrive.
—Bonnie S. Glaser, Foreign Affairs, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for civil defense
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civil defense.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near civil defense
Cite this Entry
“Civil defense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20defense. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share