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 movement

Examples of civil rights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Selden and Thornton learned about now-defunct tennis competitions, such as the Oak Bluffs Tournament and the Mary Tucker Invitational, named for the lifelong civil rights activist and avid tennis player. —Essence, 17 Oct. 2024

The executive order mandates guidelines and standards for government use of AI, requires government oversight of AI models that could pose a risk to national security, and essentially sets the stage to ensure privacy, equity and civil rights are protected through the use of AI technology. —Megan Poinski, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024

In announcing the federal review of the Tulsa massacre, Clarke referenced the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, a federal law passed in 2008 that authorized the government to reopen civil rights crimes resulting in death that occurred on or before Dec. 31, 1979. —Deena Zaru, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2024

After the Civil War, white conservatives had pioneered mass violence and intimidation tactics to prevent Black suffrage and undermine civil rights. —William Horne / Made By History, TIME, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see civil

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

civil rights

plural noun

: the nonpolitical rights of a citizen

especially : the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution and by acts of Congress