censor

1 of 2

noun

cen·​sor ˈsen(t)-sər How to pronounce censor (audio)
1
: a person who supervises conduct and morals: such as
a
: an official who examines materials (such as publications or films) for objectionable matter
Government censors deleted all references to the protest.
b
: an official (as in time of war) who reads communications (such as letters) and deletes material considered sensitive or harmful
2
: one of two magistrates of early Rome acting as census takers, assessors, and inspectors of morals and conduct
Cato the Censor accused Africanus and his senior officers of running an army riddled with moral laxityColleen McCullough
3
: a hypothetical psychic agency that represses unacceptable notions before they reach consciousness
censorial adjective

censor

2 of 2

verb

censored; censoring ˈsen(t)-sə-riŋ How to pronounce censor (audio)
ˈsen(t)s-riŋ

transitive verb

: to examine in order to suppress (see suppress sense 2) or delete anything considered objectionable
censor the news
also : to suppress or delete as objectionable
censor out indecent passages

Examples of censor in a Sentence

Noun Government censors deleted all references to the protest. Verb The station censored her speech before broadcasting it. His report was heavily censored.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
How does this book fit in with ongoing national conversations attempting to ban or censor drag? Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 Many of the harshest comments appeared to have been removed by online censors by Monday. Larissa Gao, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2024 But for Swift, censors appeared to turn a blind eye. Meaghan Tobin, Washington Post, 30 Dec. 2023 Her works in 2022 and 2023 drawing on these experiences were banned by censors but were posted and reposted hundreds of time. Ian Johnson, Foreign Affairs, 19 Dec. 2023 The comedy was frequently a target — including a sketch about television censors — but so were the musical bookings. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2023 Part catharsis, part political theater, events like Twix’s death are providing Russians with rare opportunities to vent and bond with like-minded people without running afoul of the police or censors. Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024 Unlike today’s new features, however, those content censors are mandatory, and unable to be circumvented for any accounts under the age of 18. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 25 Jan. 2024 That came at a cost, namely a continual battle between Tom Smothers and network censors who objected to making fun of societal mores. Fred A. Bernstein, Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2023
Verb
The names of most Chinese political prisoners are censored online. Li Yuan, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Republican leaders adopted the laws in response to growing concern among conservatives that social media giants were censoring their political views. Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024 In August, a judge ruled that the city could justifiably censor the free speech of Stop LAPD by forcing it to stop publishing pictures of officers online. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2024 At least 19 states have laws censoring school lessons related to race. Janai S. Nelson and Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, Parents, 24 Jan. 2024 In claiming that the FBI interfered, Warner alleges that the agency overtly pressured Facebook and Twitter to censor news about those emails. Kevin Collier, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024 Within the first eight months of 2023, the associated found that nearly 700 attempts were made to censor library materials, a 20% increase from the same reporting period the previous year. USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024 The bill’s lead champions, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), also announced new changes to the text of the legislation, which seem aimed at addressing concerns that the bill would allow politicians and law enforcement to censor content online. Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 15 Feb. 2024 Republicans criticized the board as a vehicle to censor their speech, fuelling a wave of misogynistic online attacks on Jankowicz. Joel Simon, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'censor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Latin cēnsor "Roman magistrate tasked with registering citizens, removing persons from the register whose conduct was found wanting, and leasing public contracts," from cēnsēre "to give as an opinion, assess, appraise, perform the duties of a censor" (going back to an Indo-European verbal base *ḱems- "announce, evaluate publicly," whence Sanskrit śaṁati "declares solemnly, praises," Avestan sənghaitī "announces, names") + -tor, agent suffix

Verb

derivative of censor entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1882, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of censor was in 1526

Dictionary Entries Near censor

Cite this Entry

“Censor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/censor. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

censor

1 of 2 noun
cen·​sor ˈsen(t)-sər How to pronounce censor (audio)
: an official who checks materials (as publications or movies) to take out things thought to be objectionable

censor

2 of 2 verb
censored; censoring ˈsen(t)s-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce censor (audio)
: to examine in order to prevent publication or take out things thought to be objectionable
also : to delete things thought to be objectionable

Medical Definition

censor

noun
cen·​sor ˈsen(t)-sər How to pronounce censor (audio)
: a hypothetical psychic agency that represses unacceptable notions before they reach consciousness
censorial adjective

Legal Definition

censor

1 of 2 transitive verb
cen·​sor
: to examine (as a publication or film) in order to suppress or delete any contents considered objectionable

censor

2 of 2 noun
: one that censors

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