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civil defense
noun
: the system of protective measures and emergency relief activities conducted by civilians in case of hostile attack, sabotage, or natural disaster
Examples of civil defense in a Sentence
She's in training to be part of the local civil defense.
the head of civil defense
Recent Examples on the Web
Gaza’s civil defense said that rescue teams were working to recover people from the rubble and that the death toll was expected to rise.
CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment on both strikes.
—Abeer Salman, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Two men, including a Hezbollah civil defense worker, hung a Lebanese flag atop the rubble and retrieved a prayer rug with an image of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Nov. 2024
In the past three years, Taiwan has consistently increased its defense budget, lengthened mandatory military conscription from three months to a year while overhauling its training regimen, invested in domestic missile and drone production, and made important strides in civil defense.
—David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
Recommended Trump’s inroads with Black voters test Harris in North Carolina
Gaza’s civil defense agency, which carries out search and rescue operations, said it was forced to pull out of northern Gaza due to threats from Israeli forces.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for civil defense
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Word History
First Known Use
1939, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near civil defense
Cite this Entry
“Civil defense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20defense. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
civil defense
noun
: protective actions and emergency relief activities carried on by civilians in case of enemy attack or natural disaster
More from Merriam-Webster on civil defense
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about civil defense
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