Bleeping

/ˈbliːpɪŋ/ verb

Definition

Making a short high-pitched sound, or censoring a word by covering it with that sound on television or radio.

Etymology

From the onomatopoeia 'bleep' that mimics a short electronic sound. The word emerged in the mid-20th century with electronic devices. The censorship meaning came about in the 1960s when TV stations used bleeps to cover profanity.

Kelly Says

When TV shows bleep out curse words, your brain still 'hears' the missing word—studies show that censored speech actually activates the same brain regions as hearing the real word!

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