civil service

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.

civil service

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

civil service

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of civil service¹

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

The Office of Personnel Management began sending emails to the entire civil service asking what it is they actually do.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The protests against civil service quotas, which sparked last year's uprising, came as Bangladesh struggled with the escalating costs of living in the wake of the pandemic.

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Ambassadors are managed by the Foreign Office and the civil service, and bosses of both were answering questions from MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

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Faced with increasing class sizes and behavioural issues, the 39-year-old, from North Tyneside, left teaching to work for the civil service.

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The opening of careers—in military command and the civil service, for instance—to talent rather than noble descent started a realignment in the distribution of status.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• administration 
• authority 
• management 
• ministry 
• red tape