How to Use civil disobedience in a Sentence

civil disobedience

noun
  • In an act of civil disobedience, the family sent its tax money to an antiwar organization.
  • A student organization is encouraging civil disobedience as a way to get the university to change its policies.
  • That this round of civil disobedience will lead to real change.
    — Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 3 June 2020
  • Some movie theaters stayed open in an act of civil disobedience.
    — Raf Casert, ajc, 27 Dec. 2021
  • The attacks could also have been an act of civil disobedience.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 27 July 2024
  • That could possibly kick off days or weeks of civil disobedience.
    — Jeannette Neumann, WSJ, 26 Oct. 2017
  • And these are just a few of the many countries that saw large demonstrations of civil disobedience this year.
    — NBC News, 24 Dec. 2019
  • This is the third time he's been arrested for civil disobedience.
    — J. Edward Moreno, azcentral, 14 July 2019
  • Many implored the council to use civil disobedience to fight back.
    — Rachel Royster september 2, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Others say protests and civil disobedience will be more fruitful than the electoral process.
    — Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 6 July 2021
  • Both tell a story of daring civil disobedience and serve as their own best example of it.
    — Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Nov. 2024
  • Several labor unions called on their members to walk off the job in a show of civil disobedience.
    — Nicholas Bariyo, WSJ, 25 Oct. 2021
  • But as Shafer would soon learn, tiny-home living appealed to more than those with a taste for civil disobedience.
    — WIRED, 2 Sep. 2023
  • The protests have been peaceful, and have at times included civil disobedience.
    — Brooks Johnson, Star Tribune, 24 Apr. 2021
  • An act of civil disobedience includes sitting on a public road to block traffic.
    — Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025
  • An act of civil disobedience includes sitting on a public road to block traffic.
    — Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2025
  • More than 40% of all protests involved some civil disobedience, the report said.
    — Fox News, 2 Dec. 2020
  • Some fear that a lack of what the Black people in town perceive as justice could result in civil disobedience.
    — NBC News, 20 Oct. 2021
  • Perhaps engage in a bit of civil disobedience?
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
  • The group used civil disobedience in the form of shutdowns and protests as a tactic to counter Indian rule.
    — Aijaz Hussain, ajc, 2 Sep. 2021
  • The eighth night of protests saw less violence, fewer police clashes and more acts of civil disobedience.
    — Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 3 June 2020
  • The unrest and civil disobedience has put law enforcement in the spotlight.
    — Ricardo Torres, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 June 2020
  • When a player engages in this sort of civil disobedience, the team can respond in a couple of different ways.
    — Andrew Brandt, SI.com, 6 Aug. 2019
  • Alongside the protests, a civil disobedience campaign of strikes has paralysed large parts of the economy.
    — NBC News, 30 Mar. 2021
  • Meanwhile, there is not much the police can do should tactics switch to a campaign of low-level civil disobedience—strikes, sit-ins and so on.
    — The Economist, 1 Aug. 2019
  • The junta has cracked down on doctors and nurses, who have been at the forefront of a civil disobedience movement opposed to the regime.
    — Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • When her husband joined the civil disobedience movement and refused to work, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
    — Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2022
  • It could be seen as support for the nationwide strike of state railway workers, who are part of the civil disobedience movement against the coup.
    — Fox News, 13 Mar. 2021
  • The army takeover triggered widespread protests and the formation of a civil disobedience movement.
    — The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 11 Feb. 2022
  • In other words, the purpose of civil disobedience is to break the law and get arrested in order to make societal change.
    — Rosalyn R. Lapier, The Conversation, 12 July 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civil disobedience.' 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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