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
There were a few reasonable opinion drafts, a couple of speeches with a Q&A transcribed, and one very excellent and complete essay on civil rights.
—
Ezra Fox
july 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
The suits argued that layoffs left the department unable to carry out responsibilities required by Congress, including duties to support special education, distribute financial aid and enforce civil rights laws.
—Mark Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
The four-day convention at the Charlotte Convention Center is expected to bring thousands to uptown for the annual meeting of one of the nation’s oldest civil rights groups.
—Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2025
Controversy on campus Since its establishment in 1996, civil rights advocates and researchers have documented that the 287 (g) program often targets individuals with little or no criminal history and strains the relationship between police and immigrant communities.
—Miami Herald, 12 July 2025
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Ezra Fox
july 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
The suits argued that layoffs left the department unable to carry out responsibilities required by Congress, including duties to support special education, distribute financial aid and enforce civil rights laws.
—Mark Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
The four-day convention at the Charlotte Convention Center is expected to bring thousands to uptown for the annual meeting of one of the nation’s oldest civil rights groups.
—Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2025
Controversy on campus Since its establishment in 1996, civil rights advocates and researchers have documented that the 287 (g) program often targets individuals with little or no criminal history and strains the relationship between police and immigrant communities.
—Miami Herald, 12 July 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 21 Jul. 2025.
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