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

That show became the stuff of TV legend as the stars famously battled CBS over content and censorship concerns. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025

By the turn of the twentieth century, book censorship had become a battlefield in America’s first modern culture war. —Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025

Topics brought to the fore at the hourlong rally included book bans, the censorship of artworks, federal funding cuts, issues of accessibility, and recent governmental efforts to erase Black and LGBTQ+ history. —News Desk, Artforum, 17 Dec. 2025

In an October 2025 interview, Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, told Publisher’s Weekly that states such as Oregon and Massachusetts have been successful in fighting censorship. —The Editors, Scientific American, 16 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