civil rights

American  

[siv-uhl rahyts] / ˈsɪv əl ˈraɪts /

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.

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civil rights British  

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

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civil rights Cultural  

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.

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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.

Etymology

Origin of civil rights

First recorded in 1715–25

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

civil rights

The effort comes as civil rights groups pursue their own election-protection initiatives, including Vote Safe, which has begun deploying trained community volunteers to polling locations in several battleground states.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

He would argue on behalf of civil rights and nuclear disarmament, and all these other causes that he cared about.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026

Title IX refers to the 1972 civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination, and it applies to any school that receives federal financial assistance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Title IX is a federal civil rights law mandating that universities follow certain rules when investigating sexual assaults.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

They were heading to the local jail to protest the arrest earlier that day of a civil rights worker.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

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Related Words

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

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