Ku Klux Klan

[ koo-kluhks-klan ]

noun

U.S. History. a secret hate group in the southern U.S., active for several years after the Civil War, which aimed to suppress the newly acquired rights of Black people and to oppose carpetbaggers from the North, and which was responsible for many lawless and violent proceedings.
Official name Knights of the Ku Klux Klan . a secret hate group inspired by the former, founded in 1915 and currently active across the U.S., especially in the South, directed against Black people, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, foreign-born individuals, and other groups.

Origin of Ku Klux Klan

First recorded in 1865–70; Ku Klux (perhaps from Greek kýklos “circle, assembly”) + Klan, spelling variant of clan

Also called Ku Klux; KKK [key-key-key] /ˈkeɪˈkeɪˈkeɪ/ .

Words Nearby Ku Klux Klan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Ku Klux Klan in a sentence

In the fall, the national racial reckoning caused the museum to postpone the highly anticipated exhibit “Philip Guston Now,” which contains images that include Ku Klux Klan hoods.
The National Gallery is back. And it’s done being subtle about its brand and mission. | Peggy McGlone | May 13, 2021 | Washington Post
To those whose understanding of racism overlaps almost entirely with Ku Klux Klan hoods and cross burnings, such subtleties may seem like efforts to identify racism where none exists.
Our understanding of racially motivated crime is limited by the challenge of quantifying it | Philip Bump | March 17, 2021 | Washington Post
Chris Buckley, a war veteran and former Ku Klux Klan member who works at Parents for Peace, rejects arguments that anyone is “too far gone” for help.
After Capitol riots, desperate families turn to groups that ‘deprogram’ extremists | Paulina Villegas, Hannah Knowles | February 5, 2021 | Washington Post
André Carson, a Democrat from Indiana, said the scene reminded him of a Ku Klux Klan rally.
Members of Several Well-Known Hate Groups Identified at Capitol Riot | by A.C. Thompson and Ford Fischer | January 9, 2021 | ProPublica
Loeffler’s photo with a KKK leaderAt a recent campaign event, Loeffler posed side by side with a former, well-known Ku Klux Klan leader.
What you need to know about the Georgia Senate runoff elections | Amber Phillips | December 17, 2020 | Washington Post

He affected an anchorman finesse in apologizing for “past mistakes” as a Ku Klux Klan leader.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise | Jason Berry | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game | Michael Tomasky | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
If they are interested in changing, why do they continue to call themselves the Ku Klux Klan?
The Klan’s Call to Violence in Ferguson Blows the Lid Off Its Hypocritical Rebrand | Caitlin Dickson | November 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the backlash to Reconstruction after the Civil War, the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan were born.
A Brief History of Wingnuts in America; From George Washington to Woodstock | John Avlon | August 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Nothing sends a sitting Governor running away from a fundraiser quite like a Ku Klux Klan controversy.
OK County GOP Learns That KKK 'Discussions' Not Welcome | Olivia Nuzzi | August 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Accordingly many advertisers quietly suggested to the publisher of the paper that he “lay off” the Ku Klux Klan.
The Modern Ku Klux Klan | Henry Peck Fry
As this narrative deals only with the Ku Klux Klan, a discussion of the other movements is unnecessary.
The Modern Ku Klux Klan | Henry Peck Fry
In spite of these resemblances, however, the difference between the old Ku Klux Klan and the new is appalling.
The Modern Ku Klux Klan | Henry Peck Fry
Their efforts in the summer of 1921 were not successful, one legislator even going so far as publicly to defend the Ku Klux Klan.
The Modern Ku Klux Klan | Henry Peck Fry
No other organization aside from the Ku Klux Klan would have had the slightest interest in destroying the records.
The Modern Ku Klux Klan | Henry Peck Fry

British Dictionary definitions for Ku Klux Klan

Ku Klux Klan

/ (ˈkuː ˈklʌks ˈklæn) /

noun

a secret organization of White Southerners formed after the US Civil War to fight Black emancipation and Northern domination
a secret organization of White Protestant Americans, mainly in the South, who use violence against Black people, Jewish people, and other minority groups

Origin of Ku Klux Klan

C19 Ku Klux, probably based on Greek kuklos circle + Klan clan

Derived forms of Ku Klux Klan

Ku Kluxer or Ku Klux Klanner, noun
Ku Kluxism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Ku Klux Klan

Ku Klux Klan

A secret society dedicated to the supremacy of white people in the United States. It began in the South during the time of Reconstruction and attempted to terrorize the many southern blacks and carpetbaggers who had replaced white southerners in positions of power. The Klan gained renewed strength in the 1920s and again in the 1960s but is now very diminished. It has stated that it aims to preserve “pure Americanism.” It has attacked Jews (see also Jews) and Roman Catholics, along with immigrants and communists but is still primarily opposed to equal rights for black people and has often engaged in violence against them. Klansmen wear white hoods and robes. Klan leaders have titles such as Grand Dragon, Grand Cyclops, and Imperial Wizard.

Notes for Ku Klux Klan

A favored tactic of Klansmen is to burn a wooden cross outside the house of someone whom they wish to intimidate. Typically, they want the occupant to move out of the vicinity. The burning cross is a threat of future assaults if the victim does not do what the Klan wants.

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