constitute

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verb con·sti·tute \ˈkän(t)-stə-ˌtüt, -ˌtyüt\

Definition of constitute

constituted

;

constituting

transitive verb
1 : to appoint to an office, function, or dignity Legal authority constitutes all magistrates.
2 : set up, establish: such asa : enact regulations as are constituted by the governmentb : found constitute a provisional governmentc (1) : to give due or lawful form to an agreement constituted by writing (2) : to legally process
3 : make up, form, compose 12 months constitute a year. … high school dropouts who constitute a major problem in large city slums. — J. B. Conant

See constitute defined for English-language learners

See constitute defined for kids

Examples of constitute in a Sentence

Women constitute 70 percent of the student population at the college.
nine players constitute a baseball team

Recent Examples of constitute from the Web

Pakistan’s gaunt, chain-smoking founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, insisted that Muslims constitute a separate nation, but envisioned a secular state.

— The Economist, "Post-partum depressionSeventy years of Indo-Pakistani enmity," 22 July 2017
Readers are reminded that an arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.

— pioneer press, chicagotribune.com, "Norridge police reports," 16 July 2017
Poverty is universal, jobs are scarce, large families are crammed into mud-brick homes and meals often are constituted of little more than the subsistence crops residents grow — mainly corn and beans.

— kirk semple, New York Times, "Every Year, the Sky ‘Rains Fish.’ Explanations Vary.," 16 July 2017
Some of this comes down to what essentially constitutes propaganda from conservative media, and a self-serving brand at that—

— jack holmes, Esquire, "Even College-Educated Republicans Think Colleges Are Ruining America," 11 July 2017
Tillerson’s comments were the first public confirmation by the United States that the missile was indeed an ICBM, constituting a major technological advancement for the North and its most successful missile test yet.

— catherine lucey, The Seattle Times, "NKorea long-range missile test spurs US calls for action," 5 July 2017
A force of 20 F-35Bs would constitute half of the offensive firepower of a Ford-class supercarrier, on paper anyway, for a quarter the cost of the ship.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Are Light Carriers Poised to Make a Comeback?," 5 July 2017
This suggests that short-term rentals of the Neuschwanders’ property do constitute commercial activity.

— jack greiner, Cincinnati.com, "Neighborhood squabble could have bigger implications," 5 July 2017
The petitioners argued the siege did not constitute a rebellion that could justify martial rule which might foster human rights abuses in a country that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos in a 1986 revolt for massive rights violations.

— Washington Post, "Philippine court upholds martial law as siege’s end seen," 4 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'constitute.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of constitute

Middle English, from Latin constitutus, past participle of constituere to set up, constitute, from com- + statuere to set — more at statute

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

CONSTITUTE Defined for English Language Learners

constitute

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verb

Definition of constitute for English Language Learners

: to make up or form something
: to be the same as something : to be equivalent to something
: to establish or create (an organization, a government, etc.)

CONSTITUTE Defined for Kids

constitute

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verb con·sti·tute \ˈkän-stə-ˌtüt, -ˌtyüt\

Definition of constitute for Students

constituted

;

constituting

1 : to form the whole of Twelve months constitute a year.
2 : to establish or create constitute a new government

Law Dictionary

constitute

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transitive verb con·sti·tute \ˈkän-stə-ˌtüt, -ˌtyüt\

Legal Definition of constitute

1 : to appoint to an office or function those who are constituted heirs or named legatees — Louisiana Civil Code legal authority constitutes all magistrates
2 : establish, found to constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court — U.S. Constitution art. I
3a : to put (as an agreement) into required form b : to qualify as a letter can constitute a will — W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al. failure to act may constitute negligence c : to form the substance or whole of the bonds constituted the entire estate