censorship

noun

cen·​sor·​ship ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship How to pronounce censorship (audio)
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 His gloss on censorship, its past and present, is dizzyingly brisk, and limited to the fate of his own book. Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024 Over three decades, DFW went from housing the last movie censorship board to the biggest non-L.A./NYC domestic market. Lisa Laman, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2024 But their companies are not bound by the First Amendment, a protection against government censorship that does not prevent private organizations or companies from deciding what speech to host. Michael Posner, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 This idea that there's censorship to stop people from doing, threatening to kill someone, threatening to do something, that's not censorship. Stefan Becket, CBS News, 2 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for censorship 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'censorship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

censor entry 1 + -ship

First Known Use

circa 1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of censorship was circa 1591

Dictionary Entries Near censorship

Cite this Entry

“Censorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/censorship. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

censorship

noun
cen·​sor·​ship ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship How to pronounce censorship (audio)
: the system or practice of censoring

Medical Definition

censorship

noun
cen·​sor·​ship ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship How to pronounce censorship (audio)
: 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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