censorship

noun

cen·​sor·​ship ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship 

1

a

: the institution, system, or practice of censoring

They oppose government censorship.

b

: the actions or practices of censors

especially : censorial control exercised repressively

… censorship that has … permitted a very limited dispersion of facts.

—Philip Wylie

2

: the office, power, or term of a Roman censor

3

: exclusion from consciousness by the psychic censor

Examples of censorship in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Together, these systems form the Orbital Cloud, a unified infrastructure layer that provides sovereign, censorship-resistant connectivity and in-orbit computing services. —William Jones, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025

Free Press, not to be confused with the Bari Weiss startup called The Free Press, advocates against media consolidation and censorship. —Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025

Allowing foreigners to lead this type of censorship would both insult and injure the American people. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 8 Dec. 2025

Criticism of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine is also muted, though ostensible allies in Europe are lambasted for censorship and lax migration policies. —semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

censor entry 1 + -ship

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing censorship

• anti-censorship
• self-censorship

Rhymes for censorship

• authorship
• battleship
• chairmanship
• chieftainship
• comradeship
• consulship
• craftsmanship
• dealership
• draftsmanship
• fellowship
• fingertip
• internship

Kids Definition

censorship

noun

cen·​sor·​ship ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship 

: the system or practice of censoring

Medical Definition

censorship

noun

cen·​sor·​ship ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship 

: exclusion from consciousness by the psychic censor

Legal Definition

censorship

noun

cen·​sor·​ship

: the institution, system, or practice of censoring compare freedom of speech, prior restraint