the civil service
noun
: the part of a government that takes care of the government's basic business : the administrative part of a government
—often used before another noun
a civil service employee
the civil service system
Examples of the civil service in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The agreement is voluntary and doesn’t obligate the UK in any exclusive manner, yet the commitments are concrete: both sides want pilot projects running inside the civil service within the next twelve months.
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Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
In February, the Office of Personnel Management directed agencies to fire thousands of probationary employees — workers who were in their position for less than a year or two years and lacked the civil service protections of those who had been in their jobs longer.
—Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025
The purge of the employees had marked one of the first stages of President Trump’s plan to rapidly downsize the civil service and overhaul or eliminate entire offices and programs.
—Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Concern for the government's number crunchers Even in corners of the government that appear farthest from politics, there are concerns about the changes Trump is bringing to the civil service.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 23 June 2025
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Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
In February, the Office of Personnel Management directed agencies to fire thousands of probationary employees — workers who were in their position for less than a year or two years and lacked the civil service protections of those who had been in their jobs longer.
—Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025
The purge of the employees had marked one of the first stages of President Trump’s plan to rapidly downsize the civil service and overhaul or eliminate entire offices and programs.
—Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Concern for the government's number crunchers Even in corners of the government that appear farthest from politics, there are concerns about the changes Trump is bringing to the civil service.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for the civil service
Cite this Entry
“The civil service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20civil%20service. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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