constitute

American  

[kon-sti-toot, -tyoot] / ˈkɒn stɪˌtut, -ˌtjut /

verb (used with object)

• constitutes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• constituted,
  past participle,  past
• constituting
  present participle

1. to compose; form.

   mortar constituted of lime and sand.

2. to appoint to an office or function; make or create.

   He was constituted treasurer.

3. to establish (laws, an institution, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   commission, institute

4. to give legal form to (an assembly, court, etc.).

5. to create or be tantamount to.

   Imports constitute a challenge to local goods.

6. Archaic. to set or place.

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constitute British  

/ ˈkɒnstɪˌtjuːt /

verb

1. to make up; form; compose

   the people who constitute a jury

2. to appoint to an office or function

   a legally constituted officer

3. to set up (a school or other institution) formally; found

4. law to give legal form to (a court, assembly, etc)

5. obsolete law to set up or enact (a law)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• constituter
  noun
• constitutor
  noun
• preconstitute
  verb (used with object)
• nonconstituted
  adjective
• self-constituted
  adjective
• self-constituting
  adjective
• unconstituted
  adjective
• well-constituted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• constituting
  present
• constituted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• constitute
  simple
• constitutes
  simple
• have constituted
  perfect
• has constituted
  perfect
• am constituting
  progressive
• are constituting
  progressive
• is constituting
  progressive
• have been constituting
  perfect progressive
• has been constituting
  perfect progressive

Past

• constituted
  simple
• had constituted
  perfect
• was constituting
  progressive
• were constituting
  progressive
• had been constituting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will constitute
  simple
• will have constituted
  perfect
• will be constituting
  progressive
• will have been constituting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of constitute

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin constitūtus, past participle of constituere “to set up, found”; see constituent

Explanation

To constitute is to make up a whole from smaller parts, or "constituents." "What constitutes a family?" means "What makes up a family?" Parents, kids, pets, and other family members constitute most people's idea of a family. The Constitution tells us what our country is all about and supposed to be made of — in other words, what constitutes the United States. This word can deal with the present or the future. The items listed in a recipe constitute what will be in a cake; later, the individual ingredients constitute the cake. Eleven players constitute a football team on the field. We can even say that abstract qualities are constituted. For example, some people think wearing sunglasses constitutes coolness. Since everything in the world is made up of other things, there's a lot of constituting going on.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

constitute constitutes constituted constituting

The administrative claims do not themselves constitute lawsuits.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

If it was, it could constitute a "serious violation" of the conditions of his house arrest, said justice Alexandre de Moraes.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Columbia Law School business professor Eric Talley added: “This doesn’t constitute Paramount Skydance coming out and waving a big white flag — but it is a small white flag of surrender.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

War-torn romances are nothing new, but in Mr. Aris’s story it’s not the shattered buildings that constitute the real wreckage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The robin sings flexible songs, containing a variety of motifs that he rearranges to his liking; the notes in each motif constitute the syntax, and the possibilities for variation produce a considerable repertoire.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

"It does not specify what constitutes hate speech, how it will be defined, on what criteria, or how those who produce such speech will be identified," she told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Another challenge can be determining what constitutes a "reasonable adjustment," a sticking point which can be what ends up being decided in a tribunal.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Critics of the ban say what constitutes spiritual elevation is hardly straightforward.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

To that end, he could argue the video constitutes misappropriation or invasion of privacy.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Stateroom 3 is glorious as well as a misnomer—it constitutes half the car, and contains at least one additional room, which is cordoned off with a thick velvet curtain.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

In a statement, the force said it did not believe sharing the picture constituted an offence.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The ANJ said the site's continued availability -- where betting odds on different events are updated in real time -- constituted advertising.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

The president also took aim at FIFA’s use of slow-motion replay to decide whether Balogun’s stepping on an opponent’s ankle constituted a red-card offense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

A similarly constituted body could govern the AI fund’s investment priorities and distribution policy, shielded from both corporate lobbying and political pressures.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

We were scheduled to arrive at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport at 2:35 a.m. local time, which constituted a thirty-minute journey into the future.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Prosecutors contend that the Paramount deal would reach and, in some cases, exceed established thresholds, constituting violations of the century-old Clayton Antitrust Act that was adopted to protect markets and consumers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

It found Kim guilty of manipulating the share price of Deutsch Motors, a South Korean car dealer, which it ruled a "collusive... trading act constituting market manipulation".

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

According to McKinsey & Co., the total quantum industry — computing, communications and sensing — could grow into a $97 billion market by 2035, with quantum computing constituting the lion’s share.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 15, 2025

He proposed that home and work are our first and second “places,” with “people places” designed to strengthen local ties and foster the common good constituting these “third” spaces.

From Salon ● Mar. 30, 2025

A total of 241 signs or letters was neatly divided by etched vertical lines into groups of several signs, possibly constituting words.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• create
• establish