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

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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

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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

His working-class roots constitute another element of his appeal.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

Polymarket told AFP that bets placed on events via the platform constitute "neither polls nor official projections, nor expressions of support for any candidacy."

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Cornell says silence or lack of resistance does not constitute consent.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Whether the mine detonations constitute an armistice violation is less clear cut, said Shin Jong-woo, who served in South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff more than a decade ago when another land-mine incident occurred.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Alas, the cage, no matter how spacious of an abode, would not constitute a community and would be utterly merciless.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

Whether or not robots dream of electric sheep, rapid advances in artificial intelligence have tech leaders and philosophers pondering what constitutes consciousness.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

"It is clear that our not having reviewed the data available to us prior to the attack constitutes a missed opportunity."

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

This debate turns on several questions, including what constitutes a disability under ADA, what responsibilities businesses should shoulder and how the U.S. regulates fragrances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

This constitutes an exoneration of Mr. Powell insofar as Mr. Horowitz finds no evidence of criminality or deliberate wrongdoing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Moriori and Maori history constitutes a brief, small-scale natural experiment that tests how environments affect human societies.

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

Race stewards said the medication was applied in error but still constituted a "serious breach", the Age reported.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Men and boys constituted the majority of reported missing persons.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

The chair umpire then conducted a video review of what happened, and ruled that the flickering ad constituted a “hindrance” outside of the control of the players, like some paper getting blown onto the court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

It condemned all forms of discrimination against women and girls, and reiterated that sexual slavery of boys, and child marriages and forced forced marriages constituted human rights abuses.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Before Martin’s mother passed, it was her lot to translate the ellipses and muttered asides that constituted conversation between father and son.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Yet punitive damages are extremely rare, constituting fewer than 3% of all customer claims that have ever resulted in any award at Finra.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

The prosecutor general said Kozyura had agreed to share information "constituting state secrets" for financial reward and deserved the harshest punishment.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 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

The enthusiasm Olmsted had identified during his travels, though still far from constituting a tidal wave, at last seemed to begin propelling visitors to Jackson Park.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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Related Words

• create
• establish

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