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
In practice, this bill will criminalize protest and mask-wearing, enabling dangerous right-wing attacks on our civil rights and endangering public health.
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Nikki Morse, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2025
Additionally, accountability could weaken, with fewer mechanisms in place to ensure that schools adhere to national standards and civil rights protections.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
Watch Nyad on Netflix 11 of 17 Rustin Colman Domingo received an Oscar nomination for his role as gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin in this namesake biopic.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 16 Mar. 2025
The erasure of Black books is part of a deliberate assault on civil rights, historical truth, and Black futures.
—Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
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Nikki Morse, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2025
Additionally, accountability could weaken, with fewer mechanisms in place to ensure that schools adhere to national standards and civil rights protections.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
Watch Nyad on Netflix 11 of 17 Rustin Colman Domingo received an Oscar nomination for his role as gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin in this namesake biopic.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 16 Mar. 2025
The erasure of Black books is part of a deliberate assault on civil rights, historical truth, and Black futures.
—Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 15 Mar. 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 22 Mar. 2025.
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