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
Federal damages caps: Chicago should lobby Congress to impose damages caps in federal civil rights cases.
—
Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025
In addition to last week's lobbying led by the National Black Justice Collective, a civil rights organization advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, other groups have also held rallies in D.C.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today, 20 June 2025
Another round of national anti-Trump demonstrations is being planned across the U.S. for July 17 under the banner of Good Trouble Lives On, a reference to the late civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
As the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, however, many Black leaders embraced white, middle-class norms—including heteronormativity—as a strategy for advancing desegregation and civil rights for the larger Black community.
—Time, 20 June 2025
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Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025
In addition to last week's lobbying led by the National Black Justice Collective, a civil rights organization advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, other groups have also held rallies in D.C.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today, 20 June 2025
Another round of national anti-Trump demonstrations is being planned across the U.S. for July 17 under the banner of Good Trouble Lives On, a reference to the late civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
As the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, however, many Black leaders embraced white, middle-class norms—including heteronormativity—as a strategy for advancing desegregation and civil rights for the larger Black community.
—Time, 20 June 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 25 Jun. 2025.
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