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.

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Constable ² American  

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

noun

1. John, 1776–1837, English painter.

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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

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Constable ² British  

/ ˈkʌnstəbəl /

noun

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

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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

Explanation

A small-town police officer is sometimes known as a constable. If you live in an extremely tiny town, the constable may show up at your door when you dial 9-1-1 for help with a raccoon stuck in your chimney. In Britain and Canada, a constable is the lowest-ranking officer in a police force. It's less common in the U.S., and the word's exact meaning varies a bit from state to state. In some places, a constable is only authorized to serve subpoenas to people who are required to testify in court. Other constables have full law enforcement powers. The Latin root of constable is comes stabuli, "attendant to the stables."

Example Sentences

John Hamilton, who worked as a detective constable in Northumbria Police's child abuse and sexual offences unit, was assigned to a case involving the girl.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Sometimes a junior constable walked into the frame and saluted her.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Griffin was assistant chief constable at the time of the attacks, and assumed the role of "gold commander" on the day - the senior officer with overall strategic command.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Moloney KC said: "So to be clear are you, as the former chief constable of Nottinghamshire Police, saying to the chair that it would have made no difference?"

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

“I know. But Hannah needed me, and I needed her. She wasn’t a witch, Uncle Matthew. If you could only have known her — ” Matthew looked back at the constable.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

Related Words

• detective
• patrolman
• policeman
• policewoman