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.)

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

Under the constitutional amendment which made his presidency possible, the new president will likely only be in place until the new constitution comes into force - or for maximum of five years.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The constitution limits the president from unilaterally interfering with local laws.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

And under the state constitution, only the governor has the power to issue pardons.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

Japan's constitution renounces offensive military force, and successive governments have maintained a decades-old pledge not to possess nuclear weapons, produce them or permit their introduction into the country.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

Only further threats, notably Shays’s Rebellion of 1786 and the unsolved burden of war debt, overcame the ex-colonies’ extreme reluctance to sacrifice autonomy and pushed them into adopting our current strong federal constitution in 1787.

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

The Constitution gives no comparable authority to the president.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Jamelle Bouie: It’s saying: “Our Constitution protects these rights. The Constitution may not mention those rights, but those rights are there, and we understand ourselves to have them.”

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

“If you are born in America, you are American — period. The Constitution says it and the Supreme Court has affirmed it,” Schumer said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Roberts, and ultimately the high court's majority, rejected that interpretation, saying: "Well, it's a new world. It's the same Constitution."

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The debates in the ratifying conventions of the respective states only exposed the irreconcilable differences of opinion that the Constitution had so deftly bundled together.

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

It was far more prominent in the discussions in the Constitutional Convention and in early state constitutions than the freedom of speech.

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

“Of the nearly two hundred written constitutions, the Constitution of the United States — the most influential constitution in the world — is also among the oldest, a relic,” Lepore asserts in her opening.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025

The automobiles’ delicate constitutions and general faintheartedness soon became a source of scorn.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• charter
• code
• custom
• legislation