Black Lives Matter
noun
Note: Black Lives Matter was founded by Black community organizers Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi after George Zimmerman was acquitted of charges relating to his fatal shooting of Black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012; the movement expanded as people reacted to police killings of unarmed Black people in years following. The name Black Lives Matter functions as a declaration that Black people's lives have as much value as white people's lives, and as a call to end systems and practices that challenge this fact.
—abbreviation BLMExamples of Black Lives Matter in a Sentence
Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 26 May 2025
Untold pieces of protest art also were created in public spaces across the U.S. – from murals honoring Floyd, to calls for justice and support for the Black Lives Matter movement, which swelled in the wake of Floyd's death.
—Deena Zaru, ABC News, 26 May 2025
Additionally, the corner store outside which Floyd had been pinned down was turned into a living memorial, just one of many that appeared across the country to honor him and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 May 2025
Some Jews heard anti-Israel currents in portions of the Black Lives Matter platform, while some Black activists perceived Jewish silence on police brutality; social media amplified every slight.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 24 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Black Lives Matter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Black%20Lives%20Matter. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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