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 city and state were running 28 migrant-exclusive facilities at the peak of arrivals in January of last year, according to city census data. —Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025

According to census data, the average income in the area is under $30,000. —Michael Loria, USA Today, 18 June 2025

And the number of residents within five miles of the site has increased by 23,000 since 2010, according to ESRI, a platform used for mapping and analyzing census data. —Alecia Taylor, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2025

But the census does reveal some quirks: the tally of objects flattens out a bit as mass descends from the stellar regime to brown dwarfs but then starts rising again at lower, more planetary-scale masses. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 12 June 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)