Ku Klux Klan
noun
ˈkü-ˈkləks-ˈklan 
also ˈkyü-,
or ˈklü-
1
: a violent secret fraternal society founded in 1915 in Georgia to maintain white Protestant cultural and political power
also
: any one of more than 20 hate (see hate entry 1 sense 1c) groups that associate themselves with the Ku Klux Klan
2
: a violent post-Civil War secret society founded in Tennessee in 1866 to upend the Black political and social power that was being established during Reconstruction
Note: This Ku Klux Klan had largely dissolved by the end of the 1870s.
Examples of Ku Klux Klan in a Sentence
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Nathan Daye, 30, remembers the Ku Klux Klan parading through the streets of his hometown of Roxboro, North Carolina, in 2016 when Donald Trump won his first election.
—
Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2025
Since the Ku Klux Klan’s resurgence in 1915, white supremacists have pushed for white control of society.
—Art Jipson, The Conversation, 11 June 2025
The Insurrection Act has been invoked throughout U.S. history to deal with riots and labor unrest, and to protect Black Americans from the Ku Klux Klan.
—Justin Jouvenal, Arkansas Online, 9 June 2025
Black families were also terrorized by the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, called the White Legion.
—Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 2025
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Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2025
Since the Ku Klux Klan’s resurgence in 1915, white supremacists have pushed for white control of society.
—Art Jipson, The Conversation, 11 June 2025
The Insurrection Act has been invoked throughout U.S. history to deal with riots and labor unrest, and to protect Black Americans from the Ku Klux Klan.
—Justin Jouvenal, Arkansas Online, 9 June 2025
Black families were also terrorized by the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, called the White Legion.
—Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for Ku Klux Klan
Cite this Entry
“Ku Klux Klan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ku%20Klux%20Klan. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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