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

Cap bearing the badge of the Indian Police Service, the highest-trained level of police officers who must pass the Indian civil service exam.

From The Wall Street Journal

He advised students in liberal arts to major in law, accounting, or Chinese literature, reasoning that these fields most commonly led to recruitment after civil service exams.

From BBC

"I am going to appeal to all female aspiring candidates to ensure that they record all these cases," Mainga Kabika, the civil service head of the gender division in the president's office, said on Monday.

From BBC

An expansive exhibition focuses on the Japanese warriors—from their rise as masters of warfare to their domestication as part of the civil service and landed gentry—as well as their long cultural afterlife.

From The Wall Street Journal

State Department officials say the administration’s cuts to the civil service haven’t affected their ability to respond.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• administration
• authority
• management
• ministry
• red tape