civil marriage
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of civil marriage
First recorded in 1890–95
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.
She also believed that a civil marriage would be valid only if it were held in a court.
From BBC • Jan. 10, 2025
Ronan, a four-time Oscar-nominated actor, married Jack Lowden, her “Mary Queen of Scots” co-star, in Scotland last weekend, the Irish Independent reported, citing Scottish civil marriage records.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2024
Although today most Americans are likely to encounter a justice of the peace in the context of civil marriage ceremonies, this office was once the most important agent of law enforcement.
From Slate • Dec. 5, 2023
Uner the proposals, same-sex couples could have a service in which there would be "prayers of dedication, thanksgiving or for God's blessing on the couple" in church after a civil marriage.
From Reuters • Jan. 18, 2023
Other laws excluded all religious orders from Prussia, and civil marriage was made compulsory; this law, which at first was confined to Prussia, was afterwards passed also in the Reichstag.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8 "Germany" to "Gibson, William" by Various
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.
