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

Threets says that being an author hasn’t changed his stance on book censorship, even as incidents continue to rise. —Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026

Though the journalists were released within hours, the National Press Workers’ Union issued a poignant statement denouncing the fact that twenty-three of their members were still behind bars, and that censorship remained prevalent in Venezuela. —Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026

Countering a Fragmenting Industry Independent creators face shrinking public arts funding, risk-averse commissioning, cultural censorship, and fast-moving technologies. —Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2026

Elections were riddled with irregularities, media censorship intensified, and civil-society groups operated under constant threat. —Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026

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