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

The Islamic Republic of Iran has accelerated its executions of dissidents and activists, with the true number of victims likely obscured by the regime’s internet censorship and blackout. —Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026

But in the current climate of censorship and funding threats, museums have largely pulled back from the political front lines. —Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026

One video complaint to Putin about corruption and censorship attracted tens of millions of viewers, briefly turning its creator, the lifestyle blogger Viktoria Bonya, who lives in Monaco, into an unlikely face of opposition to the Kremlin. —Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026

This has to do perhaps with their political situation, restraints in creativity, censorship and lack of funding that force them to think out of the box. —Annika Pham, Variety, 4 June 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