Jump To:

• constitution
  constitution

  noun

  the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation, state, corporation, or the like, is governed.
• Constitution
  Constitution

  The fundamental law of the United States, drafted in Philadelphia in 1787 (see Constitutional Convention), ratified in 1788, and put into effect in 1789. It established a strong central government in place of the Articles of Confederation. (See Preamble to the Constitution.)

Trivia Time

What are the opening words of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution?

Test Your Knowledge

constitution

American  

[kon-sti-too-shuhn, -tyoo-] / ˌkɒn stɪˈtu ʃən, -ˈtju- /

noun

• constitutions
  plural

1. the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation, state, corporation, or the like, is governed.

2. the document embodying these principles.

3. (initial capital letter) Constitution of the United States.

4. the way in which a thing is composed or made up; makeup; composition.

   the chemical constitution of the cleanser.

5. the physical character of the body as to strength, health, etc..

   He has a strong constitution.

6. Medicine/Medical, Psychology. the aggregate of a person's physical and psychological characteristics.

7. the act or process of constituting; establishment.

8. the state of being constituted; formation.

9. any established arrangement or custom.

10. Archaic. character or condition of mind; disposition; temperament.

---

constitution British  

/ ˌkɒnstɪˈtjuːʃən /

noun

1. the act of constituting or state of being constituted

2. the way in which a thing is composed; physical make-up; structure

3. the fundamental political principles on which a state is governed, esp when considered as embodying the rights of the subjects of that state

4. (often capital) (in certain countries, esp Australia and the US) a statute embodying such principles

5. a person's state of health

6. a person's disposition of mind; temperament

---

Constitution ¹ Cultural  

1. The fundamental law of the United States, drafted in Philadelphia in 1787 (see Constitutional Convention), ratified in 1788, and put into effect in 1789. It established a strong central government in place of the Articles of Confederation. (See Preamble to the Constitution.)

---

constitution ² Cultural  

1. A nation or state's fundamental set of laws. Most nations with constitutions have them in written form, such as the United States Constitution. The constitution of Britain, by contrast, is an informal set of traditions, based on several different laws.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticonstitution
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• constitutions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of constitution

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English constitucion “edict, ordinance,” from Anglo-French, from Latin constitūtiōn-, stem of constitūtiō “an appointing, establishing”; see constitute, -ion

Explanation

A constitution is a statement of the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or group, such as the U.S. Constitution. Another very common meaning of constitution is the physical makeup of a person. The noun constitution is from Latin, from constitutus, "set up, established," plus the suffix -ion, meaning "act, state, or condition." So think of a constitution as how a body (yours, the government's) is set up. If you have a strong constitution, it means you don't get sick very often.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

constitution Constitution constitutions

In 2024, the city of Los Angeles formed a commission to find ways to improve services and amend its charter, which essentially serves as the city’s constitution.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

South Korea—whose constitution treats North Koreans as citizens—has argued it should receive the pair of POWs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Under Serbia's constitution, presidential elections must be held no more than three months after his resignation.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

But having lived through both the 20 February movement in 2011 that changed the constitution and the recent Gen Z movement, she believes change must come from a multi-faceted approach.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Lee asked Madison rhetorically: “Is your love for the constitution so ardent...that it should produce ruin to your native country?”

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

“And it’s hard to give up the opportunity to do something that I think will be good for the Constitution and good for the country as long as I’m able to do it.”

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026

Shanmugam characterized Boulder’s case as “unprecedented,” and argued that the Constitution does not permit individual localities to “use state law to regulate global conduct.”

From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026

Constitution as originally drafted contained about 4,600 words—extraordinarily brief by historical standards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Neither the Constitution nor the Clean Air Act provides such a shield, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

After prominent American conjure-politician Sebastien Durand won his case in the Marvellian Courts of Justice, the ban was ruled unlawful and at odds with the Marvellian Constitution.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

He said he would enforce state laws he doesn’t like as long as they are in line with the California and U.S. constitutions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Generally, state constitutions only contain language about whether the death penalty is allowed or about what the limits are on all punishments.

From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026

It added that "rights are not protected by temporary decrees, but... through permanent constitutions that express the will of the people and all components" of society.

From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026

In response to the decree, the Kurdish administration in Syria's north and north-east said it was "a first step" but called for "permanent constitutions that express the will of the people", rather than "temporary decrees".

From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026

These “cat treats” were an abomination, but they had clearly been engineered to appeal to the weak constitutions of Earth felines.

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

Related Words

• charter
• code
• custom
• legislation