civvy
Americannoun
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a civilian
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(plural) civilian dress as opposed to uniform
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civilian life
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of civvy
First recorded in 1885–90; civ(ilian) + -y 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“We need to find who they are, extract them from what they are doing, second them to civvy street” — referring to the nonmilitary world — “and attach them to firms.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 27, 2021
On 7 May cabinet and shadow cabinet ministers looked on from town hall platforms as results were announced that would send them back to civvy street overnight.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2015
On returning to civvy street he displayed a mistrust of big organisations—he made a career with Texas’s scrappy independents rather than with the local giants—and a gambler’s cunning.
From Economist ● Aug. 1, 2013
Having been hired in 1991 to provide percussive cover for the drunken antics of original drummer Gary Young, he had long prepared himself for the inevitable return to civvy street.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 27, 2010
I'm just a plain old batman gone civvy.'
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
He was in civvies during the audience because of diplomacy and Vatican protocol, Col.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 22, 2023
“I’ve been in the army 14 years and I chose to join. These guys are all civvies … and we are investing everything we can because we know they are going to need it.”
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 10, 2022
At the Bataclan five months earlier, when I had met him, he had been relaxing with a drink, in his "civvies".
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2017
A further update on Mitchell Starc He’s entered the field in civvies and wearing a moon boot, which doesn’t auger particularly well for his ability to even have a hit later in Australia’s first innings.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 28, 2015
The in-mate, dressed in civvies, might try to walk right out of the Visit Room to the street at the end of the day.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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