census

noun

cen·​sus ˈsen(t)-səs 

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

census transitive verb

Synonyms

• count
• tally

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 on the Web

The Town of Bath was officially founded in 1776, named after the famous spas in Bath, England, and at the 2020 census reported around 750 residents. —Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2025

The 2020 census had just over 28,000 Tennessee residents who identified as Native American/Native Alaskan. —Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Oct. 2025

According to a 2021 census, around 30 per cent of Birmingham’s population is Muslim, with the visit of an Israeli team regarded as a high-risk safety concern. —Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025

According to the last national census in India, carried out in 2011, Shahjahanpur had about 872 females for every 1000 males, a wider gap than a national average already imbalanced. —Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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 censor entry 1

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing census

• census clause

Rhymes for census

• amanuensis
• melitensis
• consensus

Kids Definition

census

noun

cen·​sus ˈsen(t)-səs 

: a counting of the population (as of a country, city, or town) and a gathering of related statistics done by a government every so often

Legal Definition

census

noun

cen·​sus

: 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)