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
One of the things [a person] could do is file a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security for civil rights and civil liberties.
—
Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
The 60-day reprieve follows a class-action lawsuit filed against the state by five drivers and several civil rights groups, including the Asian Law Caucus, the Sikh Coalition and the Jakara Movement.
—Sacbee.com, 31 Dec. 2025
Now operated as a museum and haunted attraction along with preservation efforts by the Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance, the former hospital has a dark and tragic history filled with horrific patient neglect and abuse, leading to a landmark civil rights lawsuit and its closure.
—Julie Jordan, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
Sued by civil rights groups, she was eventually convicted five times for inciting racial hatred.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil rights
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Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
The 60-day reprieve follows a class-action lawsuit filed against the state by five drivers and several civil rights groups, including the Asian Law Caucus, the Sikh Coalition and the Jakara Movement.
—Sacbee.com, 31 Dec. 2025
Now operated as a museum and haunted attraction along with preservation efforts by the Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance, the former hospital has a dark and tragic history filled with horrific patient neglect and abuse, leading to a landmark civil rights lawsuit and its closure.
—Julie Jordan, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
Sued by civil rights groups, she was eventually convicted five times for inciting racial hatred.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 28 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 1 Jan. 2026.
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