census
noun
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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.
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Examples of census in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If people disagree on the results of an election, or whether a census process is accurate, then democracy suffers. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "The UK’s inquiry into fake news is focused on a long-dead bikini-finding app," 27 Nov. 2018 The last census, from 2001, counted 151,000 Hungarians, but unofficial estimates now see around 120,000. — Pablo Gorondi, The Seattle Times, "Ukraine’s Hungarian minority threatened by new education law," 14 Nov. 2018 But even during the human sample frenzy, the cell census is not the only ambitious project underway at the Allen Institute. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "The Heroes of Science Who Are Unlocking the Brain," 3 Oct. 2018 The 2016 census posted a population of 1,747, so understandably, there are only a few (but all totally great) places to stay. — Hannah Zisman, Marie Claire, "Weekend Travel Guide: Where to Stay, Eat and Drink in Marfa, Texas," 24 July 2018 For five days every summer, the royal family participates in Swan Upping, or the annual census of mute swans on the River Thames. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "Inside the Royal Family’s Oddest Tradition: Swan Upping," 17 July 2018 The last census in 2008 had the average per capita income at $26,984. — John Smallwood, Philly.com, "Female athletes keep plugging away in sports that don't offer big money," 5 July 2018 The annual census reported to NOAA on Sunday by the Center for Whale Research tallies just 75 southern residents, the lowest number in decades. — Anchorage Daily News, "Whale strandings off Washington-Oregon coast highest in nearly 2 decades," 3 July 2018 Hence, insane voter ID laws, changes to the census, norm-busting à la refusing to hold hearings on Obama's judicial nominees. — Maya Singer, Vogue, "Who's Up For Burning It All Down?," 6 Oct. 2018These 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.
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More Definitions for census
census
noun
English Language Learners Definition of census
: the official process of counting the number of people in a country, city, or town and collecting information about them
See the full definition for census in the English Language Learners Dictionary
census
noun
\
Kids Definition of census
: a count of the number of people in a country, city, or town
census
nounLegal 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)
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