noun
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a policy or programme of censoring
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the act or system of censoring
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psychoanal the activity of the mind in regulating impulses, etc, from the unconscious so that they are modified before reaching the conscious mind
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of censorship
Explanation
Censorship blocks something from being read, heard, or seen. If you've ever heard the sound of bleeping when someone is speaking on television, that's censorship. To "censor" is to review something and to choose to remove or hide parts of it that are considered unacceptable. Censorship is the name for the process or idea of keeping things like obscene word or graphic images from an audience. There is also such a thing as self-censorship, which is when you refrain from saying certain things — or possibly re-wording them — depending on who is listening.
Vocabulary lists containing censorship
List 5
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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World War I
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bush trod a delicate diplomatic line during his August 2008 trip, as human rights groups called for a tough stance on China's rule of Tibet, arrests of dissidents and Internet censorship.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
We’ve been seeing the censorship going on, but at the end of the day I don’t think that’s the problem.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
The Biennale has previously stressed that it is open to everyone and "rejects any form or exclusion or censorship".
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
That led to criticism and claims of censorship.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026
In Protestant countries censorship was less rigorous, although there were still limits as to what could be published.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
