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civil defense
noun
: the system of protective measures and emergency relief activities conducted by civilians in case of hostile attack, sabotage, or natural disaster
Examples of civil defense in a Sentence
She's in training to be part of the local civil defense.
the head of civil defense
Recent Examples on the Web
The Biden administration’s recent delay of the export of more than 20,000 M-16 rifles intended for Israeli civil defense teams because of U.S. concerns about settler violence in the West Bank could be a harbinger of further impediments.
—Shalom Lipner, Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2023
Roy Navarrete, the director of the state civil defense office, said the crash occurred in the township of Elota, near the port city of Mazatlan, according to The Associated Press.
—USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024
Local civil defense and hospital officials said seven people were wounded, including two women, one of whom was in critical condition.
—Ammar Cheikh Omar, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2024
The drought has affected 481,000 people as of Monday, according to the civil defense agency in the state of Amazonas, where Manaus is located.
—Reuters, CNN, 17 Oct. 2023
The plane was carrying five people — including four Canadian skydivers, ages 60, 59, 41 and 35 — and a 40-year-old Mexican man, the Oaxaca state civil defense office said, according to USA Today and Reuters.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 15 Feb. 2024
After several commentators have drawn parallels between the state of things in Taiwan and recent events in Ukraine and Hong Kong, we are shown images of Taiwanese citizens attending civil defense classes.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 21 Jan. 2024
The official said the attackers were not part of the Esh Kodesh civil defense squad — a unit of settlers that has been armed and trained by the military and operates under its supervision.
—Shakked Auerbach, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2024
An estimated 1,700 people remain trapped beneath the rubble as Israel's air raids impede and imperil civil defense workers, one of whom was killed during a rescue mission Friday.
—TIME, 28 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civil defense.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1939, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near civil defense
Cite this Entry
“Civil defense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20defense. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Kids Definition
civil defense
noun
: protective actions and emergency relief activities carried on by civilians in case of enemy attack or natural disaster
More from Merriam-Webster on civil defense
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about civil defense
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