civil service

noun

: the administrative service of a government or international agency exclusive of the armed forces

especially : one in which appointments are determined by competitive examination

Examples of civil service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The goal is to create a more ideologically submissive civil service that will carry out whatever Trump orders, even if those orders are legally dubious. —Matt Ford, The New Republic, 2 Nov. 2023

The final stage of the appeals process would occur before a civil service trial board or an administrative law judge. —Kelli Smith, Dallas News, 11 Apr. 2023

For 140 years, there’s been a bipartisan consensus that supports a professional, nonpartisan civil service. —Norman J. Ornstein, The New Republic, 22 Sep. 2023

According to a copy of Patten’s separation agreement obtained by the Globe, Patten has agreed to never work for the state again, and to request for his name to be removed from the state civil service examination list. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 15 June 2023

Neither man has been criminally charged, and a union representative told CNN that the two have filed a civil service appeal for their terminations. —Nick Valencia, CNN, 23 Feb. 2023

City Manager Brian Maxwell told The Daily News that the city cannot investigate the raid itself or decisions leading up to it under civil service rules, but officials are looking into the breakdown in communication. —Renee Yan, Chron, 30 Jan. 2023

Ayush Verma, a 23-year-old aspiring diplomat currently studying for India’s civil service exam, said his peers are concerned about the impact on permanent visas and citizenship in Canada. —Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023

The president, whose term lasts for six years, also signs off on key civil service appointments. —Philip Heijmans, Bloomberg.com, 8 June 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

circa 1770, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

civil service

noun

: the branch of a government that takes care of the business of running a state but that does not include the lawmaking branch, the military, or the court system