What does "census" mean?
An official count or enumeration of members of a population (not necessarily human), usually residents or citizens in a particular region, often done at regular intervals.
Census
noun, verb
noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An official count or enumeration of members of a population (not necessarily human), usually residents or citizens in a particular region, often done at regular intervals.
- Grammar: census is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: account, accounting, accounts, agenda.
- Useful contrasts: sampling procedure, unsupervised sample, analyze sample.
- Usage evidence: In the United States, there is a census every ten years.
How to use "census"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "census" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "census" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "census" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "census" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "census" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "account" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "census", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An official count or enumeration of members of a population (not necessarily human), usually residents or citizens in a particular region, often done at regular intervals. countable, uncountable
"As you know, the Imperium has never been able to take a census of the Fremen. Everyone thinks that there are but few wandering here and there in the desert. My Lord, I suspect an incredible secret has been kept on this planet: that the Fremen exist in vast numbers- vast- and it is they who control Arrakis."
- 2 a periodic count of the population wordnet
- 3 Count, tally. countable, uncountable
"In what census of living creatures, the dead of mankind are included ..."
- 4 A type of tax levied by feudal lords on peasants. countable, historical, uncountable
- 5 A count of the number of individual patterns within a larger pattern, most often the ash of a soup or a methuselah. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To conduct a census on. transitive
"Each page of the schedule was crossruled with 8 lines, capable of censussing 8 individuals."
- 2 conduct a census wordnet
- 3 To collect a census. intransitive
"My initiation to waterfowl censussing took place in the early days of the A.W.E., as it is familiarly known, when I served as a junior to one of the ablest of the Witwatersrand pioneers, Royce Reed. The method used must remain one of the three basic methods of Transvaal waterfowl censussing, although it has certain inherent limitations."
Antonyms
Example
"In the United States, there is a census every ten years."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "census"?
Common synonyms include: account, accounting, accounts, agenda, assemblage, assembly.
How do you use "census" in a sentence?
In the United States, there is a census every ten years.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin cēnsus, from cēnseō. See censor.