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• constable
  constable

  noun

  an officer of the peace, having police and minor judicial functions, usually in a small town, rural district, etc.
• Constable
  Constable

  noun

  John, 1776–1837, English painter.

constable

¹ American  

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

noun

• constables
  plural

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  

/ ˈkʌnstəbəl, ˌkɒn- /

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

Derived Forms

• constableship
  noun
• underconstable
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• constables
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of constable

1200–50; Middle English conestable < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin comes stabulī count ² of the stable ¹

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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

See Examples For:

constable Constable constables

Andrew's lawyers have used a judicial review to challenge the actions of the force's chief constable and the Central Criminal Court.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

On his return, he spent five months as a probationary constable in the Metropolitan Police, before quitting to become a physical training instructor at a small prep school in Hampshire.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Breandán Mac Cionnaith, from the GRRC, also met the chief constable.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Kumar said families would have expected people appointed in senior police roles, such as the deputy chief constable, to have "candour and integrity".

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

There Mr. Carriaga told his story again and he had just finished when the constable came into the Adobe.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

But Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Grahame, the national police lead on tackling vehicle crime, tells us officers' efforts - like the night-time operation in east London - are having an impact.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said a "large scale criminal investigation" was under way into the unlawful blocking of Garvaghy Road, which prevented Sunday's parade.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

"A large scale criminal investigation is underway regarding unlawful protest on the Garvaghy Road," Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Police forces want to see tighter licensing and regulation around who can issue a number plate, says Chief Constable Tim Forber, the UK's policing lead on ANPR.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

I dressed quickly and found Head Constable Rousseau, a security officer who was a familiar figure in our area, and two policemen.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

All 43 chief constables in England and Wales are urging Burnham to establish an "additional public protection safeguard" in cases involving violent and dangerous offenders.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Chief constables have also recently announced that all forces will introduce mandatory recording of police officer suicides.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Long before modern professional police forces, public order depended on watches, constables, alarms, and forms of compelled or expected community response.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

It also called for a new sergeant qualification to replace an "outdated" exam currently passed by fewer than half of candidates, as well as "urgent action to build a credible pipeline of future chief constables".

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Ridgeway worked retrieval, heading north when constables sent word they’d captured a runaway from Virginia or North Carolina.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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