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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

civil rights

The Bloody Sunday Inquiry, which found the killing of 13 civil rights protesters in Northern Ireland by British soldiers was "unjustified", took 12 years to complete and cost more than £190m.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

John Lewis, the late Georgia congressman and hero of the civil rights movement, said voting is precious and “the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

ProPublica, a nonprofit news outlet, said federal prosecutors in Minnesota had sought to file civil rights charges against Castro over the shooting but were thwarted by leaders of the Department of Justice in Washington.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

You may not get everything you want, but we should all agree that the civil rights and liberties the founding fathers sought to enshrine in our Constitution must be defended.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

The success of the Montgomery bus boycott encouraged growing numbers of civil rights activists, black and white, to challenge laws that enforced segregation.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

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