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 165-year-old synagogue is the largest one in the state and was previously bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026

In 1967, the synagogue moved to its current location where it was bombed by local Ku Klux Klan members not long after relocating. —Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026

In the final stretch of Sinners, Smoke is forced to confront the non-supernatural threat of the Ku Klux Klan. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Jan. 2026

In 1964, Perry Nussbaum, who was then the temple's rabbi, joined other ministers in founding the Committee of Concern and raised money to rebuild African-American churches burned by the Ku Klux Klan. —Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Jan. 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