civil law

noun

variants often Civil Law

1

: Roman law especially as set forth in the Justinian code

2

: the body of private law developed from Roman law and used in Louisiana and in many countries outside the English-speaking world

3

: the law established by a nation or state for its own jurisdiction

4

: the law of civil or private rights

Examples of civil law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kirkpatrick added that immigration is a civil issue and that her department would not enforce civil laws. —Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 7 Dec. 2025

The court’s refusal to take up the case reinforces what the Constitution already demands: equal treatment under civil law. —Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 12 Nov. 2025

Other locations are neutral, with recognition across common and civil law systems. —Harsh Patel, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Mike: Significant risks, particularly because different agencies have different authorities, and the authorities that an FBI agent might have on a terrorism case will be different than the authorities ICE ERO agents have enforcing civil law. —Dana Taylor, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for civil law

• allantois
• baccarat
• chickasaw
• mackinaw
• overawe
• oversaw
• quebecois
• yojana
• aa
• aha
• bashaw
• bradshaw

Legal Definition

civil law

noun

often capitalized C&L

1

: Roman law especially as set forth in the Code of Justinian

2

: the body of law developed from Roman law and used in Louisiana, in continental Europe, and in many other countries outside of the English-speaking world including especially those that were colonized by countries of continental Europe compare common law

Note: Although Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. whose law is based entirely on civil law, remnants of civil law remain in other states (as Texas and California) in which countries of continental Europe had a strong influence.

3

: the law established by a nation or state for its own jurisdiction

4

: the law that applies to private rights especially as opposed to the law that applies to criminal matters compare criminal law