civil rights
plural noun
: rights that citizens are guaranteed by their government through legislation or other government action to ensure equal opportunities (as for employment, education, housing, or voting) and equal protection under the law regardless of personal characteristics such as race, religion, or sex
especially
: the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution and by acts of Congress
Note: The 13th Amendment (ratified 1865) abolished slavery and the 14th Amendment (ratified 1868) granted citizenship and equal rights to all people born or naturalized in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people and African Americans generally. The 15th Amendment (ratified 1870) guaranteed the right to vote regardless of color or former enslavement.
compare civil liberty see also civil rights movementExamples of civil rights in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Joining them were civil rights advocate Amanda Nguyen, former NASA engineer Aisha Bowe, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
—
Gemma Allen, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Federal funding, his administration has argued, must be contingent on universities following civil rights laws and curbing antisemitic incidents.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
To challenge the United States federal government on civil rights through educational financial environmental reciprocity.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2025
This is what James Zwerg, a civil rights activist, discovered when he was attacked by a White mob in 1961 at an Alabama bus station.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
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Gemma Allen, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Federal funding, his administration has argued, must be contingent on universities following civil rights laws and curbing antisemitic incidents.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
To challenge the United States federal government on civil rights through educational financial environmental reciprocity.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2025
This is what James Zwerg, a civil rights activist, discovered when he was attacked by a White mob in 1961 at an Alabama bus station.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
Cite this Entry
“Civil rights.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20rights. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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