Definition

1. Noun:
   • A fundamental right to gather peacefully: "freedom of assembly" is the right of people to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their shared ideas. This right is often associated with the right to petition the government.
   • A constitutional guarantee: Specifically, it is a right protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the government from abridging "the right of the people peaceably to assemble."

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The protest was a lawful exercise of freedom of assembly. (The gathering was a legal use of the right to assemble peacefully.)
  • The new law was criticized for potentially infringing on freedom of assembly. (Critics said the law might violate the right to gather.)

Advanced Usage

• "To exercise one's freedom of assembly": to actively use this right by participating in a gathering, rally, or protest.
  • The citizens exercised their freedom of assembly to demand political reform.

Variants and Related Words

• Assembly (n): a group of people gathered together for a common purpose.
  • A public assembly was held in the town square.
• Peaceable assembly (n phrase): a gathering that is non-violent and lawful, which is the specific type protected by this freedom.

Synonyms

• Right to assemble: the legal entitlement to gather.
• Peaceable assembly right: emphasizes the non-violent aspect of the protected gathering.

Related Phrases

• Freedom of petition: the right to make a complaint to, or seek the assistance of, one's government, often linked with freedom of assembly.
• First Amendment rights: the collective freedoms (speech, press, religion, assembly, petition) protected by the First Amendment in the U.S. context.

Noun

1. the right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievances; guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution