civil rights

[siv-uhl rahyts]

plural noun

(often initial capital letters)

1. rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and certain Congressional acts, especially as applied to an individual or a minority group.

2. the rights to full legal, social, and economic equality extended to African Americans.

civil rights

plural noun

1. the personal rights of the individual citizen, in most countries upheld by law, as in the US

2. (modifier) of, relating to, or promoting equality in social, economic, and political rights

civil rights

1. A broad range of privileges and rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and subsequent amendments and laws that guarantee fundamental freedoms to all individuals. These freedoms include the rights of free expression and action (civil liberties); the right to enter into contracts, own property, and initiate lawsuits; the rights of due process and equal protection of the laws; opportunities in education and work; the freedom to live, travel, and use public facilities wherever one chooses; and the right to participate in the democratic political system.

Efforts to redress the situation of inequality, such as the civil rights movement and the women's movement, have resulted in legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in affirmative action, and in the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Word History and Origins

Origin of civil rights¹

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

Dr Chakhunashvili's report echoed the conclusion that local journalists, doctors, and civil rights organisations had come to - that the water cannon must have been laced with a chemical.

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Still, he’s happy to see the office get off the ground, particularly in light of the federal cuts to civil rights enforcement.

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Multiple lawsuits have been filed by state officials and civil rights groups.

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For decades, the civil rights law has sometimes required states to draw one or more districts that would give Black or Latino voters a fair chance to “elect representatives of their choice.”

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It established a permanent federal office to support civil rights and help ensure that everyone could vote.

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Related Words

• freedom 
• freedom of religion 
• freedom of speech 
• human rights