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
The civil rights movement was at a crossroads.
—
Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
In a heartbeat, she and colleagues in seven of the department's 10 civil rights offices were locked out and no longer federal employees.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
At a time of increasing pregnancy surveillance, civil rights attorneys and advocates for women's rights warn that the referrals significantly increase the risk that more people will face criminal investigation and charges.
—Shoshana Walter, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Most summaries of Black history follow a chronological arc —slavery, segregation, civil rights, with protest and oppression as the primary through-line.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
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Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
In a heartbeat, she and colleagues in seven of the department's 10 civil rights offices were locked out and no longer federal employees.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
At a time of increasing pregnancy surveillance, civil rights attorneys and advocates for women's rights warn that the referrals significantly increase the risk that more people will face criminal investigation and charges.
—Shoshana Walter, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Most summaries of Black history follow a chronological arc —slavery, segregation, civil rights, with protest and oppression as the primary through-line.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 10 Feb. 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 14 Feb. 2026.
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