civil disobedience
noun
: refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government
Examples of civil disobedience in a Sentence
In an act of civil disobedience, the family sent its tax money to an antiwar organization.
A student organization is encouraging civil disobedience as a way to get the university to change its policies.
Recent Examples on the Web
His fellow Jesuit, Dolores Mission pastor Brendan Busse, was there with activists during a June 9 migra raid at a factory in the Garment District that saw SEIU California president David Huerta arrested for civil disobedience.
—
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
In practice, that means some borrowers working at nonprofits focused on immigration rights, civil disobedience advocacy, climate action, or other causes could find their employment disqualified from PSLF.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Conflicts are won by street mobilization and civil disobedience, until conservative governments overreact and spark a backlash.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 13 June 2025
The depth, scope, and duration of the recent protests are new: the demonstrators fused their street protests with organized boycotts of pro-Erdogan businesses, online activism, and civil disobedience.
—Henri J. Barkey, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil disobedience
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
In practice, that means some borrowers working at nonprofits focused on immigration rights, civil disobedience advocacy, climate action, or other causes could find their employment disqualified from PSLF.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Conflicts are won by street mobilization and civil disobedience, until conservative governments overreact and spark a backlash.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 13 June 2025
The depth, scope, and duration of the recent protests are new: the demonstrators fused their street protests with organized boycotts of pro-Erdogan businesses, online activism, and civil disobedience.
—Henri J. Barkey, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil disobedience
Cite this Entry
“Civil disobedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20disobedience. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share