censor

1 of 2

noun

cen·​sor ˈsen(t)-sər 

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 laxity

—Colleen McCullough

3

: a hypothetical psychic agency that represses unacceptable notions before they reach consciousness

censorial

sen-ˈsȯr-ē-əl 

adjective

censor

2 of 2

verb

censored; censoring ˈsen(t)-sə-riŋ 

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

Synonyms

Verb

• bowdlerize
• clean (up)
• expurgate
• launder
• red-pencil

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

Maryland was then the last state to have a film censor board. —Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 15 Apr. 2025

Conservatives have complained for years that platforms like Facebook and YouTube disproportionately censor right-leaning viewpoints. —David McCabe, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025

Verb

China’s quick move to censor the social media accounts of Chinese fighters in Russia is to have been expected, according to Maria Repnikova, the Georgia State University expert. —Yong Xiong, Todd Symons, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025

Further, the potential for politicians to weaponize the takedown system to censor criticism should not be ignored, the EFF warned in another blog. —ArsTechnica, 28 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for censor

• censer
• denser
• fencer
• sensor
• tensor
• biosensor
• condenser
• dispenser
• extensor

Kids Definition

censor

1 of 2 noun

cen·​sor ˈsen(t)-sər 

: 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 

: 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 

: a hypothetical psychic agency that represses unacceptable notions before they reach consciousness

censorial

sen-ˈsōr-ē-əl, -ˈsȯr- 

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