bill of rights

noun phrase

variants or Bill of Rights

1

usually Bill of Rights : a summary of fundamental rights and privileges that a government guarantees to the people

—used especially of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution

The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans' rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the people or the States. And it specifies that "the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

—National Archives and Records Administration

2

: a document containing a formal statement of rights

a patients' bill of rights

Examples of bill of rights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the absence of a constitution, a bill of rights, or even a formal citizenship law, this group had ambiguous status, and the Israeli government developed contradictory approaches to it. —Dahlia Scheindlin, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2024

And Israelis must finally adopt a full bill of rights. —Dahlia Scheindlin, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2024

There have been no efforts since, aside from a few provisions in a farmworker bill of rights law signed in 2021 by Gov. Jared Polis. —Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2024

For instance, in Madison and Jefferson’s exchanges discussing the need for a bill of rights, freedom of conscience was invariably at the top of the list. —Steven K. Green, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bill of rights

often capitalized B&R

: a statement of basic rights and privileges guaranteed to a people

especially : the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Legal Definition

bill of rights

-ˈrīts

often capitalized B&R

: a summary of fundamental rights and privileges guaranteed to a people against violation by the government

especially, capitalized B&R : the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution