noun · verb · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈsɛnsə/
General-American:/ˈsɛnsɚ/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
homophone: censer
homophone: sensor
rhymes with -ɛnsə(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:S EH1 N S ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
One of the two magistrates who originally administered the census of citizens, and by Classical times (between the 8th century B.C.E. and the 6th century C.E.) was a high judge of public behaviour and morality.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Ancient-Rome, historical
Examples
The Ancient Roman censors were part of the cursus honorum, a series of public offices held during a political career, like consuls and praetors.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: censorian, censurer
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A high-ranking official who was responsible for the supervision of subordinate government officials.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Ancient-China, historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An official responsible for the removal or suppression of objectionable material (for example, if obscene or likely to incite violence) or sensitive content in books, films, correspondence, and other media.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The headmaster was an even stricter censor of his boarding pupils’ correspondence than the enemy censors had been of his own when the country was occupied.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: censurer
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A college or university official whose duties vary depending on the institution.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: education
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
One who censures or condemns.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: censurer
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
An algorithm that approves or rejects something on grounds of taste or morality etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
I tried using a dirty word as my user name for the online game, but the censor rejected it.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
A hypothetical subconscious agency which filters unacceptable thought before it reaches the conscious mind.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Topics: human-sciences, psychology, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
To review for, and if necessary to remove or suppress, content from books, films, correspondence, and other media which is regarded as objectionable (for example, obscene, likely to incite violence, or sensitive).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
The people responsible for censoring films have seen some startling things in their time.
Occupying powers typically censor anything reeking of resistance
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bowdlerize, expurgate, expunge, redact
Antonyms: decensor
9
verb
Meaning 9
To partially obscure an observation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Qualifier: chiefly passive voice
Topics: mathematics, sciences, statistics
Examples
Early dropout is one cause of right-censoring.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
noun
Meaning 10
a person who is authorized to read publications or correspondence or to watch theatrical performances and suppress in whole or in part anything considered obscene or politically unacceptable
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: official, functionary
11
noun
Meaning 11
someone who censures or condemns
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
The noun is borrowed from Latin cēnsor (“magistrate; critic”), from cēnseō (“to give an opinion, judge; to assess, reckon; to decree, determine”) + -sor (variant of -tor (suffix forming masculine agent nouns)). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱens- (“to announce, proclaim; to put in order”). The English word is cognate with Late Middle English sensour, Proto-Iranian *cánhati (“to declare; to explain”), Sanskrit शंसति (śaṃsati, “to declare”). The verb is derived from the noun.
From an incorrect translation of German Zensur (“censorship”).
Across languages
Translations
135 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
ցենզոր
(cʻenzor)
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Bulgarian:
цензор
(cenzor)
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Catalan:
censor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Czech:
censor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Czech:
cenzor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Danish:
censor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Dutch:
censor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Faliscan:
censo
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Finnish:
sensori
— Ancient Roman magistrate
French:
censeur
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Galician:
censor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Ancient Greek:
τιμητής
(timētḗs)
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Hungarian:
cenzor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Ido:
censoro
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Italian:
censore
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Japanese:
監察官
(kansatsukan)
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Japanese:
ケンソル
(kensoru)
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Latin:
cēnsor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Marsian:
cetur
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Portuguese:
censor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Romanian:
cenzor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Russian:
це́нзор
(cénzor)
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Spanish:
censor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Swedish:
censor
— Ancient Roman magistrate
Armenian:
գրաքննիչ
(grakʻnničʻ)
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Bulgarian:
цензор
(cenzor)
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Catalan:
censor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Chinese Mandarin:
檢查員 /检查员
(jiǎncháyuán)
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Czech:
cenzor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Danish:
censor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Dutch:
censor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Finnish:
sensori
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
French:
censeur
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
French:
censeure
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
French:
censeuse
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Galician:
censor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Galician:
censora
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Galician:
censurador
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Galician:
censuradora
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
German:
Zensor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
German:
Zensurin
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Greek:
λογοκριτής
(logokritís)
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Greek:
λογοκρίτρια
(logokrítria)
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Hebrew:
צנזור
(tzenzor)
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Hebrew:
צנזורית
(tzenzoryt)
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Hungarian:
cenzor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Italian:
censore
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Japanese:
検閲官
(ken'etsukan)
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Korean:
검열관
(geomyeolgwan)
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Māori:
kairāhui whakaaturanga
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Norwegian Bokmål:
sensor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Norwegian Nynorsk:
sensor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Portuguese:
censor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Portuguese:
censora
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Portuguese:
censurador
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Portuguese:
censuradora
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Romanian:
cenzor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Russian:
це́нзор
(cénzor)
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Scottish Gaelic:
caisgire
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Serbo-Croatian:
це̏нзор
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Serbo-Croatian:
cȅnzor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Spanish:
censor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Spanish:
censora
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Spanish:
censurador
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Spanish:
censuradora
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
Swedish:
censor
— official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
French:
censeur
— college or university official
French:
censeure
— college or university official
French:
censeuse
— college or university official
Catalan:
censor
— one who condemns or censors
Catalan:
censora
— one who condemns or censors
Finnish:
sensori
— one who condemns or censors
Finnish:
arvostelija
— one who condemns or censors
Finnish:
moraalinvartija
— one who condemns or censors
Galician:
censor
— one who condemns or censors
Galician:
censora
— one who condemns or censors
Galician:
censurador
— one who condemns or censors
Galician:
censuradora
— one who condemns or censors
German:
Zensur
— one who condemns or censors
German:
Zensurin
— one who condemns or censors
Hungarian:
cenzor
— one who condemns or censors
Italian:
censore
— one who condemns or censors
Portuguese:
censor
— one who condemns or censors
Portuguese:
censora
— one who condemns or censors
Portuguese:
censurador
— one who condemns or censors
Portuguese:
censuradora
— one who condemns or censors
Russian:
це́нзор
(cénzor)
— one who condemns or censors
Spanish:
censor
— one who condemns or censors
Spanish:
censora
— one who condemns or censors
Spanish:
censurador
— one who condemns or censors
Spanish:
censuradora
— one who condemns or censors
Japanese:
フィルタリング
(hwirutaringu)
— algorithm that rejects something
