civilian

noun ci·vil·ian \ sə-ˈvil-yən also -ˈvi-yən \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Examples: civilian in a Sentence

Definition of civilian

1 : a specialist in Roman or modern civil law

2 a : one not on active duty in the armed services or not on a police or firefighting force

b : outsider 1

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civilian

adjective

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Examples of civilian in a Sentence

The bomb injured 12 civilians.

Recent Examples of civilian from the Web

Some 20,000 civilians had begun returning to their homes on Friday evening, according to the pro-opposition watchdog the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

— nabih bulos, latimes.com, "Rebels surrender southern Syrian enclave, handing Assad another major victory," 7 July 2018
The civil war reached new levels last year — the United Nations said at least 10,000 civilians were killed and more than half the country had a serious food shortage.

— NBC News, "Homeland Security extends special immigration status for some Yemenis," 6 July 2018
At the same time, advocates and police officials have raised concern that civilians who report crimes and suspicious behavior to police harbor bias.

— ted andersen, SFChronicle.com, "Two-thirds of people banned from BART are black — and agency isn’t asking why," 6 July 2018
Photos began circulating quickly after the arrest on social media, showing the teenager being held from behind by a civilian.

— christianna silva, Teen Vogue, "A Teen Was Arrested for Selling Palmetto Roses in Charleston, SC," 6 July 2018
In other incidents four Malian soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a mine and several civilians were killed in an attack on a French army convoy in northern Mali.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 5 July 2018
The code, approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942, confirmed existing customs and rules governing the display and use of the flag of the United States by civilians.

— sarah brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "Fourth of July: Are you violating US flag code? Probably," 4 July 2018
In the years since Martin’s death, several Black Americans have been killed in racially-motivated incidents, both with the police and with other civilians, and his parents Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, have continued to fight for justice.

— britni danielle, Essence.com, "Watch the Gripping New Trailer For ‘Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story’," 3 July 2018
As the population grew more restless, court seneschal Raymond of Campagno issued a decree that forbade civilians from openly carrying weapons in public.

— anne thériault, Longreads, "Queens of Infamy: Joanna of Naples," 3 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'civilian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.