Ku Klux Klan

noun

ˈkü-ˈkləks-ˈklan 

also ˈkyü-

or ˈklü-

1

: a violent secret fraternal society founded in 1915 in Georgia to maintain white Protestant cultural and political power

also : any one of more than 20 hate (see hate entry 1 sense 1c) groups that associate themselves with the Ku Klux Klan

2

: a violent post-Civil War secret society founded in Tennessee in 1866 to upend the Black political and social power that was being established during Reconstruction

Note: This Ku Klux Klan had largely dissolved by the end of the 1870s.

Examples of Ku Klux Klan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The film, directed by Elegance Bratton, sees Wahlberg's Scarpa and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's FBI agent Wayne Strider team up to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in 1960s Mississippi — and fight members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). —Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026

That terror and the presence of the Ku Klux Klan, which littered the streets with pamphlets amid the fallout of Padgett’s accusations, prompted the governor to call in the National Guard to quell the violence. —Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2026

The indictment alleges that the group, which is best known for its work to oppose the Ku Klux Klan, lied to donors about paying confidential informants to infiltrate hate groups and deceived banks about the bank accounts used to make those payments. —Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 26 May 2026

The white power movement has a long history here, going back to the days when the Ku Klux Klan could march freely through Orange County and skinheads rocked out to punk in Huntington Beach. —Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for Ku Klux Klan

• businessman
• canavan
• caravan
• constantan
• dragoman
• fisherman
• handyman
• harmattan
• journeyman
• marianne
• middleman
• minivan