as in to censor
to remove objectionable parts from
the newspaper had to expurgate the expletive-laden speech that the criminal made upon being sentenced to life imprisonment
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Recent Examples of expurgate
The movie’s climactic punch line was repeatedly expurgated and reinstated during previews.
—
J. Hoberman, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2016
J. Hoberman, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expurgate
censor
Verb
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This is Charley self-censoring.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
19 Feb. 2026
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The council keeps losing court battles on issues ranging from its Voter ID law to its efforts to censor library books to its thwarting of state housing laws.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expurgate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expurgate. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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