as in to censor
to remove objectionable parts from
the newspaper had to expurgate the expletive-laden speech that the criminal made upon being sentenced to life imprisonment
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Recent Examples of expurgate
The movie’s climactic punch line was repeatedly expurgated and reinstated during previews.
—
J. Hoberman, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2016
J. Hoberman, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expurgate
censor
Verb
-
The network quickly moved to censor a transgressive sitcom parody where soon-to-be-Ramones-manager Danny Fields tries to cure a TV repairman’s hemorrhoids by sticking a lightbulb up his ass.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
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Thousands of websites are censored by the government.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expurgate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expurgate. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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