civics
Americannoun
noun
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the study of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship
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the study of government and its workings
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of civics
Explanation
The study of citizenship is called civics. If your school offers a civics class, you can learn about the importance of things like voting and paying taxes. Student government can teach you about civics, and so can certain social studies lessons and classes that a country's new citizens sometimes take. Civics can teach you about the rights granted to citizens, as well as their responsibilities, such as serving on juries and engaging in the political process. The word civics was an American English invention, modeled on politics, from the Latin civicus, "of a citizen."
Vocabulary lists containing civics
We the People: Civ
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Out of the Dust
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American Government and Civics, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We can teach history honestly, elevate civics, vote, serve, listen and continue believing, as Lincoln urged us, in the better angels of our nature.
From Salon • Jul. 10, 2026
As America’s 250th anniversary approaches, a number of TV docuseries and web series, both historical and satirical in nature, offer timely civics lessons.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026
It is not a conspiracy; it is basic civics.
From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026
“We’ve always highlighted civics, social studies, history, economics and very specifically about how countries operate,” says series creator and executive producer Aaron Augenblick.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
We’d been learning about civics since the first grade.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
