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
Concern over conditions in detention also comes after DHS cut jobs in the oversight divisions focused on civil rights.
—
Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 23 Sep. 2025
In the 1960s, the Smothers Brothers, aka Tom and Dick Smothers, pushed the boundaries of what was considered appropriate social comedy in their CBS series, clashing with the network over their content and hosting Black civil rights activist Harry Belafonte on the show.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
Requiring police officials to report misconduct within a certain amount of time is an easy, common-sense solution, said Megan Crane, co-director of the MacArthur Justice Center, a nonprofit civil rights firm.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
Two years later, she was elected recording secretary for the New York chapter of the NAACP and later headed its National Emergency Civil Rights Mobilization, which worked to convince others of the need for civil rights legislation.
—Time, 22 Sep. 2025
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Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 23 Sep. 2025
In the 1960s, the Smothers Brothers, aka Tom and Dick Smothers, pushed the boundaries of what was considered appropriate social comedy in their CBS series, clashing with the network over their content and hosting Black civil rights activist Harry Belafonte on the show.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
Requiring police officials to report misconduct within a certain amount of time is an easy, common-sense solution, said Megan Crane, co-director of the MacArthur Justice Center, a nonprofit civil rights firm.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
Two years later, she was elected recording secretary for the New York chapter of the NAACP and later headed its National Emergency Civil Rights Mobilization, which worked to convince others of the need for civil rights legislation.
—Time, 22 Sep. 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 27 Sep. 2025.
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