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
Losing the protection of Black elite society that her parents had afforded her, and witnessing the contradiction between America’s actions abroad and at home, helped shape Moore’s lifelong advocacy for civil rights and for working-class concerns.
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Dara T. Mathis, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Forced to leave their home in Shreveport, Louisiana, and her civil rights advocacy behind, Charlotte arrives in Derry apprehensive about the lily-white town and unsettling vibes that seem to blanket everything.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
Many claim that with the abolition of slavery and the enfranchisement of women, and many other new laws like civil rights legislation and changing gender norms, there has been great progress.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Sam Ames is a civil rights attorney and expert in suicide prevention.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
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Dara T. Mathis, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Forced to leave their home in Shreveport, Louisiana, and her civil rights advocacy behind, Charlotte arrives in Derry apprehensive about the lily-white town and unsettling vibes that seem to blanket everything.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
Many claim that with the abolition of slavery and the enfranchisement of women, and many other new laws like civil rights legislation and changing gender norms, there has been great progress.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Sam Ames is a civil rights attorney and expert in suicide prevention.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 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 17 Dec. 2025.
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