prior restraint

English

Alternative forms

• prior censorship
• pre-publication censorship

Noun

prior restraint (plural prior restraints)

1. (law) A restriction on expression imposed before the fact against particular speech or ideas (as opposed to restrictions against general subject matter or imposed after the fact against a particular instance of expression).

Further reading

• “prior restraint”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “prior restraint”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.