constitute
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to compose; form.
mortar constituted of lime and sand.
-
to appoint to an office or function; make or create.
He was constituted treasurer.
-
to establish (laws, an institution, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- commission, institute
-
to give legal form to (an assembly, court, etc.).
-
to create or be tantamount to.
Imports constitute a challenge to local goods.
-
Archaic. to set or place.
verb
-
to make up; form; compose
the people who constitute a jury
-
to appoint to an office or function
a legally constituted officer
-
to set up (a school or other institution) formally; found
-
law to give legal form to (a court, assembly, etc)
-
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
Etymology
Origin of constitute
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin constitūtus, past participle of constituere “to set up, found”; constituent
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.
Staten Island’s population isn’t big enough to constitute a House seat by itself, so for decades the 11th district has also grabbed parts of Brooklyn, which is right over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Axios reported that County Judge Richard Mrazik ordered Young to be held without bail because of “convincing evidence” that he may flee the area and “would constitute a substantial danger” to the community.
From Los Angeles Times
The Aztecs’ system of rites, Mr. Sheehan observes, constituted “an active culture of sacrifice on a scale and complexity to rival that of Greece and Rome.”
The NFL needs to clarify exactly what does and doesn’t constitute pass interference.
From Los Angeles Times
That policy, the report said, constituted “a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches.”
From Salon
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.
