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
During the height of the civil rights era, the government often treated Black activism and urban unrest as a threat that needed to be contained.
—
Josiah Bates, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, the activist who championed transgender rights and protested in the historic Stonewall rebellion that galvanized the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement, has died.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Recipients span a wide range of fields, including politics, public service, the arts, science, civil rights, journalism, and humanitarian work.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, witnessing civil rights events such as the March on Washington, left an impression on her.
—Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
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Josiah Bates, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, the activist who championed transgender rights and protested in the historic Stonewall rebellion that galvanized the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement, has died.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Recipients span a wide range of fields, including politics, public service, the arts, science, civil rights, journalism, and humanitarian work.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, witnessing civil rights events such as the March on Washington, left an impression on her.
—Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 14 Oct. 2025
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 17 Oct. 2025.
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