civics
Americannoun
noun
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the study of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship
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the study of government and its workings
Etymology
Origin of civics
Explanation
The study of citizenship is called civics. If your school offers a civics class, you can learn about the importance of things like voting and paying taxes. Student government can teach you about civics, and so can certain social studies lessons and classes that a country's new citizens sometimes take. Civics can teach you about the rights granted to citizens, as well as their responsibilities, such as serving on juries and engaging in the political process. The word civics was an American English invention, modeled on politics, from the Latin civicus, "of a citizen."
Vocabulary lists containing civics
We the People: Civ
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Out of the Dust
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American Government and Civics, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sounds like a good civics lesson for their students.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026
Too often, civics is reduced to memorizing the mechanics of government.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
This week, in fact, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni hailed the second season currently unfolding over a 15-hour shift on Independence Day, calling it a civics lesson.
From Salon • Feb. 26, 2026
Student leaders see their protests as a civics lesson in action.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026
When she went to civics she knew it was out.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
