census

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noun cen·sus \ ˈsen(t)-səs \

Definition of census

1 :a count of the population and a property evaluation in early Rome

2 :a usually complete enumeration of a population; specifically :a periodic governmental enumeration of population

According to the latest U.S census, 16% of the population is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

3 :count, tally

a census of deer in a game refuge

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census

transitive verb

See census defined for English-language learners

See census defined for kids

Examples of census in a Sentence

According to the latest census, the racial makeup of the town has changed dramatically in the last 50 years.
a thorough census of all the grizzly bears living within the national park

Recent Examples of census from the Web

Blacks didn’t count, except when the census was taken.

— ron grossman, chicagotribune.com, "Don't topple statues of Founding Fathers, update your thinking about them," 25 Aug. 2017
But the phenomenon is even more evident in the Bay Area, where the numbers rose to nearly 5 percent from 3 percent in just three years, according to an analysis of census data by the Brookings Institution.

— conor dougherty and andrew burton, New York Times, "A 2:15 Alarm, 2 Trains and a Bus Get Her to Work by 7 A.M.," 17 Aug. 2017
The Government Accountability Office in February raised concern about problems facing the census, including the development of computer systems and cost estimates.

— nathan howard, Bloomberg.com, "Lawmakers Raise Alarm Over U.S. Census Preparations, Leadership," 15 Aug. 2017
Naperville's current population is 141,853, according to the 2010 census.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Special census in 2018 could put $1.6M in Naperville coffers," 10 Aug. 2017
And their census, conducted over two consecutive summers, provides the first clear evidence that night-lighting deters or distracts pollinating insects.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Confirmed: Night Lights Drive Pollinators Away From Plants," 7 Aug. 2017
The 2020 national census will be a massive undertaking for which there is not a moment to lose and yet there’s no Trump appointee in place to run it.

— michael lewis, vanityfair.com, "Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House," 26 July 2017
How to stop a virus, how to take a census, how to determine if some foreign country is seeking to obtain a nuclear weapon or if North Korean missiles can reach Kansas City: these are enduring technical problems.

— michael lewis, The Hive, "Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House," 26 July 2017
Some systems and operations have changed little since the 1970 census, Thompson notes.

— jeffrey mervis, Science | AAAS, "Money, politics, and the 2020 Census," 24 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'census.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of census

borrowed from Latin cēnsus, from cēnsēre "to give as an opinion, assess, appraise, perform the duties of a censor" + -tus, suffix of verbal action — more at ¹censor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1634

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census Synonyms

Synonyms

count, tale, tally

Related Words

score; amount, gross, sum, total, whole; recount

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

CENSUS Defined for English Language Learners

census

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noun

Definition of census for English Language Learners

: the official process of counting the number of people in a country, city, or town and collecting information about them

CENSUS Defined for Kids

census

play

noun cen·sus \ ˈsen-səs \

Definition of census for Students

:a count of the number of people in a country, city, or town

Law Dictionary

census

noun cen·sus

legal Definition of census

:a usually complete count of a population (as of a state); especially :a periodic governmental count of a population that usually includes social and economic information (as occupations, ages, and incomes)