census

American  

[sen-suhs] / ˈsɛn səs /

noun

plural

censuses

1. an official enumeration of the population, with details as to age, sex or gender, occupation, etc.

2. (in ancient Rome) the registration of citizens and their property, for purposes of taxation.

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verb (used with object)

1. to take a census of (a country, city, etc.).

   The entire nation is censused every 10 years.

census British  

/ ˈsɛnsəs /

noun

1. an official periodic count of a population including such information as sex, age, occupation, etc

2. any offical count

   a traffic census

3. (in ancient Rome) a registration of the population and a property evaluation for purposes of taxation

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Other Word Forms

• censual adjective
• precensus noun

Etymology

Origin of census

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin: “a listing and property assessment of citizens,” equivalent to cēns(ēre) “to assess, register (citizens) in a census” + -tus suffix of verb action; for -s- in place of -st- censor

Example Sentences

"This is not straightforward, and there's no church census coming that will put a stop to this once and for all."

From BBC

Mr. Newsom has the distinction of being the first governor of California since statehood in 1850 to see the state’s congressional delegation shrink, from 53 representatives to 52 after the 2020 census.

From The Wall Street Journal

According to the last census, more than 90 percent of Croatia's 3.8 million people are ethnic Croats, while about 80 percent are Roman Catholic.

From Barron's

Economic hardship has pushed millions of Nepalis to work abroad, with 7.5 percent of the population living overseas, according to the latest census.

From Barron's

The last census of Antarctic skuas took place in the 1980s, when researchers estimated about 800 breeding pairs.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• enumeration
• poll