censorship

noun

cen·​sor·​ship ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship 

1

a

: the institution, system, or practice of censoring

They oppose government censorship.

b

: the actions or practices of censors

especially : censorial control exercised repressively

… censorship that has … permitted a very limited dispersion of facts.

—Philip Wylie

2

: the office, power, or term of a Roman censor

3

: exclusion from consciousness by the psychic censor

Examples of censorship in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Activists Salomé García, who focuses on publicizing the plight of political prisoners in Cuba, and Norges Rodríguez, director of YucaByte, which covers censorship and violations of the right to information in Cuba, also demanded that right at the press conference. —Sarah Moreno march 16, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026

Adam Terr, director of public policy at The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free-speech nonprofit, said taking away licenses over war coverage equated to government censorship and infringed on the First Amendment. —Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026

So what happens is that Meta puts out a set of talking points to inflame the right, and that is censorship, censorship, censorship. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026

The head of the Biennale Foundation, Pietrangolo Buttafuoco, has defended the decision and framed it as an act opposing censorship. —ABC News, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

censor entry 1 + -ship

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing censorship

• anti-censorship
• self-censorship

Rhymes for censorship

• authorship
• battleship
• chairmanship
• chieftainship
• comradeship
• consulship
• craftsmanship
• dealership
• draftsmanship
• fellowship
• fingertip
• internship

Kids Definition

censorship

noun

cen·​sor·​ship ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship 

: the system or practice of censoring

Medical Definition

censorship

noun

cen·​sor·​ship ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship 

: exclusion from consciousness by the psychic censor

Legal Definition

censorship

noun

cen·​sor·​ship

: the institution, system, or practice of censoring compare freedom of speech, prior restraint