civil liberty
Americannoun
-
the freedom of a citizen to exercise customary rights, as of speech or assembly, without unwarranted or arbitrary interference by the government.
-
such a right as guaranteed by the laws of a country, as in the U.S. by the Bill of Rights.
noun
Etymology
Origin of civil liberty
First recorded in 1635–45
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.
But civil liberty groups are worried that its accuracy is yet to be fully established, and point to cases such as Shaun Thompson's.
From BBC • May 25, 2024
"Public safety is not compromised. Humanitarian-wise, it's a civil liberty issue."
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2022
The success of this approach is evident in the bill’s near-unanimous passage and strong support from law enforcement and privacy and civil liberty proponents.
From Washington Post • Jun. 18, 2021
The New York Police Department did not respond to requests for comment about the civil liberty concerns.
From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2021
As to the Defence of the Realm Act: of course the act gives the executive tremendous powers, and would, if continued in normal times, be incompatible with civil liberty.
From Great Britain's Sea Policy A Reply to an American Critic reprinted from 'The Atlantic Monthly' by Murray, Gilbert
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.
