censor
noun
cen·sor
| \ ˈsen(t)-sər
\
\
Definition of censor
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a person who supervises conduct and morals: such as
a
: an official who examines materials (such as publications or films) for objectionable matter
Government censors deleted all references to the protest.
b
: an official (as in time of war) who reads communications (such as letters) and deletes material considered sensitive or harmful
2
: one of two magistrates of early Rome acting as census takers, assessors, and inspectors of morals and conduct
Cato the Censor accused Africanus and his senior officers of running an army riddled with moral laxity— Colleen McCullough
3
: a hypothetical psychic agency that represses unacceptable notions before they reach consciousness
censor
verb
censored;
censoring\ ˈsen(t)-sə-riŋ
, ˈsen(t)s-riŋ \
, ˈsen(t)s-riŋ \
Definition of censor (Entry 2 of 2)
: to examine in order to suppress (see suppress sense 2) or delete anything considered objectionable
censor the news
also
: to suppress or delete as objectionable
censor out indecent passages
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Other Words from censor
Noun
censorial
\ sen-ˈsȯr-ē-əl
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms for censor
Synonyms: Verb
bowdlerize, clean (up), expurgate, launder, red-pencil
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Examples of censor in a Sentence
Noun
Government censors deleted all references to the protest.Verb
The station censored her speech before broadcasting it. His report was heavily censored.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
There is little evidence that Facebook censors users based on their political leanings. — Paris Martineau, WIRED, "Accused of Liberal Bias, Facebook Allows Ads With ... Tubes," 21 Aug. 2019 GIF Log in with or sign up with Disqus or pick a name Disqus is a discussion network Disqus never moderates or censors. — Bay City News, The Mercury News, "Condo attack suspect captured on video attacking San Francisco woman also tied to earlier assault," 20 Aug. 2019 China ruthlessly censors dissent at home and exports the technology to censor it abroad. — The Economist, "The global gag on free speech is tightening," 15 Aug. 2019 The manifesto, as well as a video livestreamed on social media as the killings unfolded, were deemed objectionable content by the country’s chief censor shortly after the attacks. — Charlotte Graham-mclay, BostonGlobe.com, "New Zealand officials admit letting Christchurch suspect send hateful letter," 14 Aug. 2019 Government censors routinely block websites, while judges have jailed social media users for posting or even liking posts critical of the government. — Sabra Ayresmoscow Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, "After a deadly nuclear missile test in Russia’s north, the Kremlin stuck to an old Soviet habit: Secrecy," 13 Aug. 2019 This is tough to do with limited information; first, with the challenge in verifying the buildings by cross-referencing with local data as China’s censors quickly take the evidence down and, secondly, with little knowledge of how crowded camps are. — Patrick Dehahn, Quartz, "More than 1 million Muslims are detained in China—but how did we get that number?," 4 July 2019 GIF Log in with or sign up with Disqus or pick a name Disqus is a discussion network Disqus never moderates or censors. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "Are violent video games connected to mass shootings?," 6 Aug. 2019 GIF Log in with or sign up with Disqus or pick a name Disqus is a discussion network Disqus never moderates or censors. — Patrick Perron, The Mercury News, "Video: Toddler injured at Atlanta airport after ride on baggage conveyor belt," 25 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The fear sticks with you, when you are censored to protect someone else’s image. — Martha Ross, The Mercury News, "Katy Perry has been accused before of being inappropriate with men," 14 Aug. 2019 The fear sticks with you, when you are censored to protect someone else’s image. — Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, "Male model accuses Katy Perry of sexual misconduct, sparking fan outrage," 13 Aug. 2019 County commissioners who voted to approve the relocation argued that opposing the plan would censor the museum. — Tess Sheets, orlandosentinel.com, "Hundreds protest Confederate statue in Lake County: ‘It is dividing us’," 10 Aug. 2019 Republicans say social media platforms censor conservative viewpoints. — BostonGlobe.com, "Trump says he’s considering commutation for Blagojevich," 9 Aug. 2019 President Trump often repeats the debunked claim that Twitter is unfairly censoring people from following him. — Alyssa Newcomb, Fortune, "Attendee of President Trump’s Social Media Complaint Fest Speaks Out," 11 July 2019 The list of invitees appears dominated by social media users who, like the Twitter-deploying president, claim conservative views are being censored by websites like Twitter, Google and Facebook. — Nicholas Wu, USA TODAY, "Trump's social media summit is stacked with conservative voices. Here's who was invited," 11 July 2019 Reuters On China’s severely censored internet these days, there are few opportunities for internet users to freely express themselves and have some fun without the fear of repercussions. — Jane Li, Quartz, "After he was doused with water, Baidu’s CEO is the butt of China’s internet jokes," 4 July 2019 Playwright Robert Quillen Camp uses two poles for navigation: Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush, and Anna Akhmatova, a 20th century Russian poet censored by Stalinist authorities. — oregonlive.com, "‘Our Ruined House’ mixes surrealism, humor to explore erosion of trust," 1 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'censor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for censor
censor
noun
English Language Learners Definition of censor
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a person who examines books, movies, letters, etc., and removes things that are considered to be offensive, immoral, harmful to society, etc.
censor
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of censor (Entry 2 of 2)
: to examine books, movies, letters, etc., in order to remove things that are considered to be offensive, immoral, harmful to society, etc.
See the full definition for censor in the English Language Learners Dictionary
censor
noun
cen·sor
| \ ˈsen-sər
\
\
Kids Definition of censor
(Entry 1 of 2)