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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

Mountbatten-Windsor's lawyers used a judicial review to successfully challenge the actions of the force's chief constable and the Central Criminal Court in the build-up to his arrest.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

"But it seemed to me that the real threat was, precisely as the chief constable had outlined, I couldn't see how the procession could take place."

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 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

He was a detective constable and lead investigator in the case of two-year-old Ethan Ives-Griffiths, whose grandparents were jailed for murder last year, and has given evidence in other high-profile murder trials in north Wales.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

And at that very moment, riding through the pine trees just in time to see it all, came the Treegap constable.

From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit

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

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said on Friday that the "investigation into anyone suspected of breaking the law related to this dispute is continuing at pace".

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 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

Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, of Gloucestershire Constabulary, explained the force was limited in what information it could share with residents.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 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

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

Badat worked on a challenge to DeSoto County districts that were used for the county’s board of supervisors, school board, election commission, county constables and their judges.

From Salon ● May 16, 2026

A further three police constables are being investigated for potential misconduct in relation to alleged failures to challenge the conduct of the other officers and their treatment of the boy.

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026

One of the constables got in the driver’s seat.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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