Phrase guide

black lives matter

phrase · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

phrase

Meaning 1

A rallying call and statement of protest, concerning police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: BLM

Antonyms: none provided

2

phrase

Meaning 2

Alternative form of black lives matter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Originally used in the form of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media (2013), protesting against the deaths of African Americans at the hands of the police.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: حَيَاةُ السُّودِ مُهِمَّة (ḥayātu as-sūdi muhimma) — statement of protest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 黑人的命也是命 (hēirén de mìng yěshì mìng) — statement of protest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 黑人的命很重要 (hēirén de mìng hěn zhòngyào) — statement of protest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 黑命貴 /黑命贵 (hēimìngguì) — statement of protest
  • Cornish: bewnansow du a vern — statement of protest
  • Esperanto: nigrulaj vivoj gravas — statement of protest
  • Finnish: mustien elämällä on väliä — statement of protest
  • French: les vies noires comptent — statement of protest
  • German: schwarze Leben zählen — statement of protest
  • Korean: 흑인의 생명은 소중하다 (heugin-ui saengmyeong-eun sojunghada) — statement of protest
  • Malay: nyawa orang hitam penting — statement of protest
  • Portuguese: vidas negras importam — statement of protest
  • Russian: жи́зни черноко́жих име́ют значе́ние (žízni černokóžix iméjut značénije) — statement of protest
  • Russian: жи́зни чёрных важны́ (žízni čórnyx važný) — statement of protest
  • Spanish: las vidas negras importan — statement of protest