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
Trump’s approval rating on all four issues both the April and July UMass polls asked about—inflation, immigration, jobs and civil rights—declined, with immigration dropping the most points (nine).
—
Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The assassination of civil rights icon the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. helped lead to the passage of the federal Gun Control Act of 1968, which imposed stricter licensing rules and outlawed the sale of firearms and ammunition to felons.
—Fred Clasen-Kelly, NPR, 19 Aug. 2025
Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice last year launched a civil rights investigation into Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility, the company's largest Tennessee prison.
—Kelly Puente, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Aug. 2025
It was taken down in 2017, following years of protest by civil rights advocates.
—Jonathan Zimmerman, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
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Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The assassination of civil rights icon the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. helped lead to the passage of the federal Gun Control Act of 1968, which imposed stricter licensing rules and outlawed the sale of firearms and ammunition to felons.
—Fred Clasen-Kelly, NPR, 19 Aug. 2025
Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice last year launched a civil rights investigation into Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility, the company's largest Tennessee prison.
—Kelly Puente, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Aug. 2025
It was taken down in 2017, following years of protest by civil rights advocates.
—Jonathan Zimmerman, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 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 22 Aug. 2025.
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