civil service

American  

noun

1. those branches of public service concerned with all governmental administrative functions outside the armed services.

2. the body of persons employed in these branches.

3. a system or method of appointing government employees on the basis of competitive examinations, rather than by political patronage.

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civil service British  

noun

1. the service responsible for the public administration of the government of a country. It excludes the legislative, judicial, and military branches. Members of the civil service have no official political allegiance and are not generally affected by changes of governments

2. the members of the civil service collectively

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civil service Cultural  

1. The nonmilitary personnel who work for a government, applying its laws and regulations.

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Etymology

Origin of civil service

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

civil service

For several years, I worked for the Chief Leader, also located in lower Manhattan, which has covered civil service since 1897.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

Mistral models are also being used to roll out a French government tool for part of the civil service administration.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

In Jharkhand, the protests began after last month's preliminary civil service exam results, with some candidates alleging that answer sheets shared online showed successful applicants had answered fewer questions than expected, fuelling suspicions of manipulation.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

However, he has received some feedback on how accurately the game depicts UK political life, from his friends who work in the civil service.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Being everyone’s mother again. D’you know, there are girls getting all sorts of jobs now. Even taking the civil service exams. That would please the Old Man.”

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Related Words

• administration
• authority
• management
• ministry
• red tape