civil service

American  

noun

1. those branches of public service concerned with all governmental administrative functions outside the armed services.

2. the body of persons employed in these branches.

3. a system or method of appointing government employees on the basis of competitive examinations, rather than by political patronage.

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civil service British  

noun

1. the service responsible for the public administration of the government of a country. It excludes the legislative, judicial, and military branches. Members of the civil service have no official political allegiance and are not generally affected by changes of governments

2. the members of the civil service collectively

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civil service Cultural  

1. The nonmilitary personnel who work for a government, applying its laws and regulations.

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Etymology

Origin of civil service

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

A third official said the lack of trust between ministers and the civil service could mean "we all get more risk averse".

From BBC • May 6, 2026

He added that under civil service guidance he would not have been allowed to tell the prime minister about details of the vetting, only his final decision on the case.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Normally, top mandarins are plucked from the British civil service for the Washington post.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

He said the information was passed on to him by Dame Antonia Romeo, the head of the civil service, and Cat Little, the head of the Cabinet Office, who had received it two weeks prior.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

Studied at the Lyceum of Nezhin, went to St. Petersburg in 1828 where he entered, in 1829, the civil service, in the Department of Public Works for the Ministry of the Interior.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Related Words

• administration
• authority
• management
• ministry
• red tape