civil defense

American  

noun

1. plans or activities organized by civilians and civilian authorities for the protection of civilian population and property in times of such disasters or emergencies as war or floods.

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Etymology

Origin of civil defense

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

"It rained a lot, the riverbank collapsed even further, and civil defense called us to evacuate," Luiz Otavio Souza, a 35-year-old salesman who had to leave his home and whose nephew is missing, told AFP.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

Summoned to the scene, the new police and civil defense officials who took over during the transition had fished out the bodies, which were then sent to Damascus for a forensic analysis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

"It requires surveys to discover and track NEOs, campaigns to characterize those that are hazardous, modeling efforts to understand and predict impact effects and associated consequences, and mitigation through impact avoidance and/or civil defense."

From Science Daily • Oct. 31, 2025

The Eisenhower administration, busy building a civil defense network in the middle of the Cold War, worked with Congress to pass new disaster relief laws.

From Salon • Jan. 26, 2025

Christine dutifully submitted to civil defense drills at school, ducking and covering under her desk, practicing the maneuver that adults said would protect her and her classmates from that telltale flash “brighter than the sun.”

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly