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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
La Follette’s national accomplishments included regulation of railroads, other powerful utilities, and lobbyists, civil service and tax reform, resource conservation measures, laws protecting workers’ rights, and candidate nomination by primary election.
—Nancy C. Unger / Made By History, TIME, 28 Oct. 2024
Trump also has pledged to lower taxes on corporations and the wealthy and to dismantle the traditional civil service to empower his loyalists.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
The Office for National Statistics said growth in earnings including bonuses was 3.8%, but noted annual rates were affected by one-off health and civil service payments made over the summer.
—Karen Gilchrist,jenni Reid,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2024
Consider the case of lean manufacturing principles applied in the U.K. civil service.
—Ula Ojiaku, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
circa 1770, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near civil service
Cite this Entry
“Civil service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20service. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.
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
More from Merriam-Webster on civil service
Nglish: Translation of civil service for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of civil service for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about civil service
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