constable
1 Americannoun
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an officer of the peace, having police and minor judicial functions, usually in a small town, rural district, etc.
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Chiefly British. a police officer.
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an officer of high rank in medieval monarchies, usually the commander of all armed forces, especially in the absence of the ruler.
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the keeper or governor of a royal fortress or castle.
noun
noun
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(in Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc) a police officer of the lowest rank
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any of various officers of the peace, esp one who arrests offenders, serves writs, etc
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the keeper or governor of a royal castle or fortress
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(in medieval Europe) the chief military officer and functionary of a royal household, esp in France and England
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an officer of a hundred in medieval England, originally responsible for raising the military levy but later assigned other administrative duties
noun
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.
The court also heard from a police constable who arrested and cautioned McCullagh, who was present when emergency services attended the scene.
From BBC
Temporary deputy chief constable Rob Griffin has been quoted as describing the failure to execute the warrant as "a serious, systemic operational failure on the part of Nottinghamshire Police".
From BBC
It was "right" the chief constable had retired so the force could rebuild trust, the MPs’ report said.
From BBC
Of the £32m that was never recovered, Kent's chief constable Tim Smith still hopes part of the haul can be traced, but said the old paper notes may be buried in the ground and degrading.
From BBC
She was interviewed by two female officers and the suspect, a constable with West Midlands Police, was arrested and questioned.
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.
