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constable

1 American  
[kon-stuh-buhl, kuhn-] / ˈkɒn stə bəl, ˈkʌn- /

noun

  1. an officer of the peace, having police and minor judicial functions, usually in a small town, rural district, etc.

  2. Chiefly British. a police officer.

  3. an officer of high rank in medieval monarchies, usually the commander of all armed forces, especially in the absence of the ruler.

  4. the keeper or governor of a royal fortress or castle.

Constable 2 American  
[kuhn-stuh-buhl, kon-] / ˈkʌn stə bəl, ˈkɒn- /

noun

  1. John, 1776–1837, English painter.

constable 1 British  
/ ˌkɒn-, ˈkʌnstəbəl /

noun

  1. (in Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc) a police officer of the lowest rank

  2. any of various officers of the peace, esp one who arrests offenders, serves writs, etc

  3. the keeper or governor of a royal castle or fortress

  4. (in medieval Europe) the chief military officer and functionary of a royal household, esp in France and England

  5. an officer of a hundred in medieval England, originally responsible for raising the military levy but later assigned other administrative duties

"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
Constable 2 British  
/ ˈkʌnstəbəl /

noun

  1. John. 1776–1837, English landscape painter, noted particularly for his skill in rendering atmospheric effects of changing light

"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

  • constableship noun
  • underconstable noun

Etymology

Origin of constable

1200–50; Middle English conestable < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin comes stabulī count 2 of the stable 1

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.

She was interviewed by two female officers and the suspect, a constable with West Midlands Police, was arrested and questioned.

From BBC

In the Paul Thompson case he argued that he, as chief constable, rather than the government, had the right to allow the coroner to release a summary of police files.

From BBC

Mahmood's comments follow government plans, announced on Friday, to grant ministers new powers to dismiss chief constables deemed to be performing poorly.

From BBC

Under separate proposals announced on Friday, ministers will be granted new powers to dismiss chief constables and intervene in forces deemed to be failing.

From BBC

Foster, who had the power to dismiss the chief constable, welcomed the police chief's decision to retire on Friday.

From BBC

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.