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
The purge of the employees had marked one of the first stages of President Trump’s plan to rapidly downsize the civil service and overhaul or eliminate entire offices and programs.
—
Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Concern for the government's number crunchers Even in corners of the government that appear farthest from politics, there are concerns about the changes Trump is bringing to the civil service.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 23 June 2025
Riedl compares the agency to the civil service, where nonpartisan staff stay regardless of whether the president is a Democrat or Republican.
—Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 6 June 2025
Federal workers face additional uncertainty from efforts to politicize the civil service.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the civil service
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Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Concern for the government's number crunchers Even in corners of the government that appear farthest from politics, there are concerns about the changes Trump is bringing to the civil service.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 23 June 2025
Riedl compares the agency to the civil service, where nonpartisan staff stay regardless of whether the president is a Democrat or Republican.
—Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 6 June 2025
Federal workers face additional uncertainty from efforts to politicize the civil service.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the civil service
Cite this Entry
“The civil service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20civil%20service. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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