social movement

noun

1. a group of diffusely organized people or organizations striving toward a common goal relating to human society or social change, or the organized activities of such a group:

   The push for civil rights was a social movement that peaked in the 1950s and 1960s.

Word History and Origins

Origin of social movement¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Joan Donovan, 41, is a scholar of media manipulation, social movements and extremism, and is research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

From Washington Post

That means they have to get involved in groups and social movements, so we can get rights and benefits.

From Vox

For marketers, Stop Hate for Profit is more than a social movement — it is pointing to an issue with ad tech as a whole.

From TechCrunch

Charlotte Alter is a national correspondent at Time covering political campaigns and youth social movements.

From Vox

Medina’s class focuses on analyzing certain social movements and historical figures in American history from diverse perspectives, human rights and human rights violations, creating change and learning about students’ impacts on the community.

From Voice of San Diego

Where the force generating those threats is a widespread, self-sustaining, and virulent social movement?

From The Daily Beast

How can climate warriors build an unstoppable social movement—and avoid a global catastrophe?

From The Daily Beast

New opportunities, however, arose with 2011's social movement, spurred by high costs of living.

From The Daily Beast

Our record of effective activism is—by comparison to every other recent social movement—stellar.

From The Daily Beast

They met every week, which is one of my rules for a successful social movement—have weekly meetings—and they planned.

From The Daily Beast

In any social movement, then, change and alteration in a new direction must be balanced against the demands of social stability.

From Project Gutenberg

Simultaneous with the social movement there was a spiritual work accomplished in the personal, inner life of Moses himself.

From Project Gutenberg

In fact, unless a political invention is woven into a social movement it has no importance.

From Project Gutenberg

The important thing about a social movement is not its stated platform but the source from which it flows.

From Project Gutenberg

That, however, cannot prevent me from recognizing the kernel of justice in the great social movement.

From Project Gutenberg