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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  

/ 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

Derived Forms

• constableship
  noun
• underconstable
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• constables
  plural

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

See Examples For:

constable Constable constables

The former constable gave chase until he was ordered to stop and remain where he was.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Stuart Hooper, an assistant chief constable at Essex Police, says it has been an "incredibly challenging" period for the force.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

Prior to this, he was the assistant chief constable of Humberside Police.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

“It is great to see…the fans being policed according to their behavior, not an outdated reputation,” said chief constable Mark Roberts, head of the UKFPU.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

“But someone must tell her what is going on out here. Perhaps there is a constable who can help us.”

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

Chief Constable James Vaughan said Devon and Cornwall Police had "mounted an extraordinary response to a horrific murder of a very prominent public figure" and shown "British policing at its very best".

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said officers remained "open-minded" about a potential motive and that there was not thought to be any threat to the wider public.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said the priority "remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined".

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Deputy Chief Constable Nicholas McLain said it was an "isolated incident" and that police were not looking for anyone else.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 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

"I think at the moment, there are eight former or serving chief constables who are either under disciplinary action or awaiting the result," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

When we got about half way to St. Michael’s, while the constables having us in charge were looking ahead, Henry inquired of me what he should do with his pass.

From "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass

Related Words

• detective
• patrolman
• policeman
• policewoman