civil service

noun

: the administrative service of a government or international agency exclusive of the armed forces

especially : one in which appointments are determined by competitive examination

Examples of civil service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The terminations marked an escalation of norm-shattering moves that have embroiled the Justice Department in turmoil and have raised alarm over a disregard for civil service protections for career lawyers and the erosion of the agency’s independence from the White House. —Alanna Durkin Richer, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025

Over time, federal employees and their civil service perks have come to personify taxpayer frustration with government waste and excess. —Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2025

Eliminating or weakening the professional civil service could turn back the clock to an era when the government was rife with incompetence and corruption. —Yong Kwon / Made By History, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025

The order to reinstate the employees earlier this week originated from a federal civil service board ruling, which found the mass firings may have been unlawful. —Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 14 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1770, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for civil service

• interservice
• disservice
• preservice
• nervous
• nervus

Kids Definition

civil service

noun

: the branch of a government that takes care of the business of running a state but that does not include the lawmaking branch, the military, or the court system