the civil service

noun

: the part of a government that takes care of the government's basic business : the administrative part of a government

—often used before another noun

a civil service employee

the civil service system

Examples of the civil service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike other senior government officials, the 48-year-old engineer did not rise through political parties, parliament or the civil service. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Mass federal workforce reductions also cut significant China expertise within the civil service, even while some China-specific offices were retained. — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026

As President, 1Hayes oversaw the end of Reconstruction, began the professionalization of the civil service, and broke the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. — New York Times, 11 June 2026

Most of the 8,000 affected people are at the highest level of the civil service, GS-15. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 4 June 2026

Rhymes for the civil service

• disservice
• preservice
• interservice
• nervous
• nervus