constitute

[kon-sti-toot, -tyoot]

verb (used with object)

constituted, constituting 

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.

constitute

/ 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)

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of constitute¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of constitute¹

C15: from Latin constituere, from com- (intensive) + statuere to place

Example Sentences

It’s hard to know how much of this constitutes a bubble, as markets do their work of funneling capital into promising but risky new technologies such as AI.

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Building U.S. plants isn’t just a hedge against geopolitical risks but also constitutes part of these companies’ globalization strategies, they add.

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The group said Rwanda’s Arsenal sponsorship constitutes sportswashing, “an effort to gain an appearance of respectability that they don’t deserve.”

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White Namibians, mainly of Afrikaner and German descent, constitute 2% of the population but, according to Namibia’s statistics authority, own 70% of commercial farmland.

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Updating the software constitutes a recall of every car running it.

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Related Words

• create 
• establish