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

Lots of people thought that was censorship. —Fiction Non Fiction october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025

Baêta said the accumulation of actions like these are creating a climate of normalized censorship. —Angele Latham, Nashville Tennessean, 1 Oct. 2025

Cruz’s committee is also convening a separate hearing this month focusing on Biden-era censorship. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2025

The Federal Security Service, the KGB’s successor, is taking up a censorship campaign very much like the one that Moscow waged during Grebenshikov’s prime. —Anna Nemtsova, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

censor entry 1 + -ship

First Known Use

circa 1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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