constitute
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to compose; form.
mortar constituted of lime and sand.
-
to appoint to an office or function; make or create.
He was constituted treasurer.
-
to establish (laws, an institution, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- commission, institute
-
to give legal form to (an assembly, court, etc.).
-
to create or be tantamount to.
Imports constitute a challenge to local goods.
-
Archaic. to set or place.
verb
-
to make up; form; compose
the people who constitute a jury
-
to appoint to an office or function
a legally constituted officer
-
to set up (a school or other institution) formally; found
-
law to give legal form to (a court, assembly, etc)
-
obsolete law to set up or enact (a law)
Other Word Forms
- constituter noun
- constitutor noun
- nonconstituted adjective
- preconstitute verb (used with object)
- self-constituted adjective
- self-constituting adjective
- unconstituted adjective
- well-constituted adjective
Etymology
Origin of constitute
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin constitūtus, past participle of constituere “to set up, found”; constituent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pressed repeatedly by lawmakers, Gabbard declined to directly endorse that characterization, instead arguing that determining what constitutes an imminent threat is ultimately the responsibility of the president.
From Barron's
Of these, roughly 263 million are outside the education system and constitute the potential young workforce.
From BBC
“It is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States.”
From Los Angeles Times
But the shift in leadership has inspired pushback from some investors who think the old framing of what constitutes good value in the equity market could use an update.
From MarketWatch
The dividend, which will be paid on June 25, constitutes an exceptional distribution and will be financed by using part of its available cash, the company said late Tuesday.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
