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

If censorship is political so is the absence of censorship. —Kamila Shamsie june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025

Read Next National Billboard with MAGA slogan removed from AL city in ‘act of censorship,’ art group says February 4, 2025 11:47 AM Read Next North Carolina ‘Controversial’ political sign lights up at NC church. —Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 17 June 2025

This request, which could lead to Guevara's deportation, is a crude form of censorship. —Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025

Were there ratings/censorship issues? Boyle laughed. —Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 17 June 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