Ku Klux Klan
noun
ˈkü-ˈkləks-ˈklan 
also ˈkyü-,
or ˈklü-
1
: a violent secret fraternal society founded in 1915 in Georgia to maintain white Protestant cultural and political power
also
: any one of more than 20 hate (see hate entry 1 sense 1c) groups that associate themselves with the Ku Klux Klan
2
: a violent post-Civil War secret society founded in Tennessee in 1866 to upend the Black political and social power that was being established during Reconstruction
Note: This Ku Klux Klan had largely dissolved by the end of the 1870s.
Examples of Ku Klux Klan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Scott In 2016, the South Carolina senator initially backed Rubio in the presidential race and excoriated Trump for his reluctance to condemn the Ku Klux Klan.
—
Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2024
Campbell finally returned to his law practice but continued to lobby on behalf of the Southern resistance, including an effort to halt President Ulysses S. Grant’s efforts to suppress the Ku Klux Klan and other insurrectionist groups in Louisiana.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 July 2024
Decades-old laws against masking — often crafted in response to the hooded terror of the Ku Klux Klan — are on the books in at least 18 states and D.C., according to the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law.
—Fenit Nirappil, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of violating the Floyds’ rights under various federal and state laws, including Sections 1981 and 1982 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, Section 1983 of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, and the Fair Housing Act, as stated in a press release from the Floyds’ attorneys.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 24 June 2024
Later that year, Hayling and other NAACP leaders were kidnapped and beaten by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
—Mark Dorosin, Orlando Sentinel, 21 June 2024
What is known of the men’s final hours – at the hands of Mississippi law enforcement and local Ku Klux Klan members – is detailed in hundreds of pages of FBI files, still heavily redacted 60 years later, which were obtained by PEOPLE.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 21 June 2024
Past celebrations have included talks about the famed sojourns of the 25th-infantry bicycle corps, the history of Ku Klux Klan’s visit to a local African Methodist Episcopal Church in Missoula, and the legacies of notable Black Montanans—women, men, and children.
—Tobin Miller Shearer, TIME, 19 June 2024
The jury failed to reach a verdict in the case — the first test of a new state law meant to ban Ku Klux Klan cross burnings — though it is expected to return to court this summer for additional proceedings.
—Teo Armus, Washington Post, 19 June 2024
Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2024
Campbell finally returned to his law practice but continued to lobby on behalf of the Southern resistance, including an effort to halt President Ulysses S. Grant’s efforts to suppress the Ku Klux Klan and other insurrectionist groups in Louisiana.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 July 2024
Decades-old laws against masking — often crafted in response to the hooded terror of the Ku Klux Klan — are on the books in at least 18 states and D.C., according to the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law.
—Fenit Nirappil, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of violating the Floyds’ rights under various federal and state laws, including Sections 1981 and 1982 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, Section 1983 of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, and the Fair Housing Act, as stated in a press release from the Floyds’ attorneys.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 24 June 2024
Later that year, Hayling and other NAACP leaders were kidnapped and beaten by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
—Mark Dorosin, Orlando Sentinel, 21 June 2024
What is known of the men’s final hours – at the hands of Mississippi law enforcement and local Ku Klux Klan members – is detailed in hundreds of pages of FBI files, still heavily redacted 60 years later, which were obtained by PEOPLE.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 21 June 2024
Past celebrations have included talks about the famed sojourns of the 25th-infantry bicycle corps, the history of Ku Klux Klan’s visit to a local African Methodist Episcopal Church in Missoula, and the legacies of notable Black Montanans—women, men, and children.
—Tobin Miller Shearer, TIME, 19 June 2024
The jury failed to reach a verdict in the case — the first test of a new state law meant to ban Ku Klux Klan cross burnings — though it is expected to return to court this summer for additional proceedings.
—Teo Armus, Washington Post, 19 June 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Ku Klux Klan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ku Klux Klan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ku%20Klux%20Klan. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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