ci·vil·ian
sə-ˈvil-yən 
also -ˈvi-yən
1
: a specialist in Roman or modern civil law
2
a
: one not on active duty in the armed services or not on a police or firefighting force
b
1
a
: of, relating to, or made up of civilians
civilian concerns/demands
the civilian population
civilian customers/casualties
The Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are the highest civilian honors in the United States.
b
: having the status of a civilian
a civilian pilot
2
: operated or controlled by civilians
civilian industry
: possessed by or vested in civilians
civilian authority
3
: intended or suited for use or consumption by civilians
civilian goods
With twin 2,520-horsepower engines and up to 19 seats, the Sikorsky S-92 is among the world's most powerful civilian helicopters.—
Josh Harkinson
Josh HarkinsonExamples of civilian in a Sentence
Noun
The bomb injured 12 civilians.
Recent Examples on the Web
Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Publicly, the team highlighted civilian uses such as infrastructure monitoring and rescue support.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Heavily armed men, dressed in civilian clothes, arrived in 4 vehicles and violently took him away.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civilian
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Noun
Maegan Ortiz, executive director of the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California, or IDEPSCA, cited the LAPD’s history of using excessive force against civilians and said that in the recent immigration raids, officers have sometimes inflamed instead of defused tensions.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Publicly, the team highlighted civilian uses such as infrastructure monitoring and rescue support.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
While the project is framed as a civilian innovation, the timing and capabilities have sparked wider interest in what such systems could become.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Heavily armed men, dressed in civilian clothes, arrived in 4 vehicles and violently took him away.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civilian
Cite this Entry
“Civilian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civilian. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
civilian
noun
ci·vil·ian
sə-ˈvil-yən
: a person not on active duty in the armed services or not on a police or firefighting force
civilian
adjective
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