census

noun

cen·​sus ˈsen(t)-səs How to pronounce census (audio)
Synonyms of censusnext
1
: a count of the population and a property evaluation in early Rome
2
: a usually complete enumeration of a population
specifically : a periodic governmental enumeration of population
According to the latest U.S. census, 20% of the population is of Hispanic or Latino origin.
3
: count, tally
a census of deer in a game refuge
census transitive verb

Synonyms of census

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of census in a Sentence

According to the latest census, the racial makeup of the town has changed dramatically in the last 50 years. a thorough census of all the grizzly bears living within the national park
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Advertisement Per the Constitution, the federal government has carried out a national census every decade since 1790—through wars, depressions, and pandemics. — Julie Morita, Time, 25 Oct. 2026 During his two terms, from 2002 to 2006, Brazil saw rising employment, a higher minimum wage and a major expansion of consumer power among poorer Brazilians, according to Brazil’s official census. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 By quantifying and characterizing the deceased relative population, our research reveals just how many people no longer appear in the census yet remain an integral part of our social world. — Ashton Verdery, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026 Roughly 96,000 people work in Burbank, while 54,000 work in El Segundo, 2024 census data show. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for census

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin cēnsus, from cēnsēre "to give as an opinion, assess, appraise, perform the duties of a censor" + -tus, suffix of verbal action — more at censor entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of census was circa 1628

Phrases Containing census

Rhymes for census

See All Rhymes for census

Browse Nearby Words

censurer
census
census clause
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Census.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/census. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

census

noun
cen·​sus ˈsen(t)-səs How to pronounce census (audio)
: a counting of the population (as of a country, city, or town) and a gathering of related statistics done by a government every so often

Legal Definition

census

noun
cen·​sus
: a usually complete count of a population (as of a state)
especially : a periodic governmental count of a population that usually includes social and economic information (as occupations, ages, and incomes)

More from Merriam-Webster on census

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about census

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All