Synonyms

constitute

American

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

verb (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.

constitute British

/ ˈkɒnstɪˌtjuːt /

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)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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.

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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.

Banco BPM said Sunday that its tie-up with MPS would create a company worth "more than 50 billion euros" that would constitute "a new national champion".

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

One ethics watchdog told me the low rents could constitute illegal gifts.

From Salon • May 29, 2026

Pied-à-terres constitute an outsize share of profit for new real-estate developments in the city and act as a subsidy for lower-priced units.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

Failing to address any known risk on your property may constitute negligence.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

The new cells resulting from these divisions have the same ability to escape control, and in time enough such cells have accumulated to constitute a cancer.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023