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 report added that a number of victims are still under the rubble and on roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them.
—
Abeer Salman, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
Abed Rahim Khatib / Anadolu via Getty Images An NBC News crew captured the moment a member of the civil defense emerged carrying the body of a small child, covered in dust, mud and blood, through the building.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 16 Dec. 2024
And unlike some other European countries, Finland has kept around 50,000 Cold-War era civil defense shelters, which could accommodate roughly 85% of the population of about 5.5 million.
—James Brooks, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
What to Know From firearm training to maintaining Cold War-era civil defense shelters, Finland is positioning itself as a model of resilience and readiness in a volatile geopolitical climate.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for civil defense 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Abeer Salman, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
Abed Rahim Khatib / Anadolu via Getty Images An NBC News crew captured the moment a member of the civil defense emerged carrying the body of a small child, covered in dust, mud and blood, through the building.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 16 Dec. 2024
And unlike some other European countries, Finland has kept around 50,000 Cold-War era civil defense shelters, which could accommodate roughly 85% of the population of about 5.5 million.
—James Brooks, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
What to Know From firearm training to maintaining Cold War-era civil defense shelters, Finland is positioning itself as a model of resilience and readiness in a volatile geopolitical climate.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for civil defense
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 8 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share