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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 

Word History

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of civil defense was in 1939

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 24 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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