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

Statisticians and political scientists have developed a variety of ways to try to quantify the partisan advantage that may be attributable to gerrymandering. Republicans, who control redistricting in more states than Democrats, used the 2010 census data to create a strong gerrymander. —David A. Lieb, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025

The census data is used for various purposes including deciding the number of U.S. Representatives each state gets, drawing electoral district boundaries and allocating government resources. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

The section of the Indiana Constitution that opinion refers to requires redistricting to be done by state legislators elected during a federal decennial census year — the next of which is 2030. —Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 6 Aug. 2025

Absent a court order to remedy some problem or another, congressional districts are left in place for a decade following the decennial federal census, the last being 2020, with the most recent lines being produced for 2022. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 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)