civil service

American  

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.

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civil service British  

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

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civil service Cultural  

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

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Etymology

Origin of civil service

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

On Monday, Sir Keir sought to play down any sense of a rift with the civil service when he told MPs: "We have thousands of civil servants who act with integrity and professionalism every day."

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

But Sir Olly defended his decision not to share this, saying he decided what information to share based on internal civil service guidance.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

Normally, top mandarins are plucked from the British civil service for the Washington post.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

In November, the then head of the civil service, Sir Chris Wormald, said Lord Mandelson was not formally interviewed for the role of US ambassador.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

She wanted to hire women, but by law she had to choose from lists of people who had taken civil service exams in math or science.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

• administration
• authority
• management
• ministry
• red tape