constitute
verb
con·sti·tute
ˈkän(t)-stə-ˌtüt 
-ˌtyüt
constituted; constituting
1
2
3
: to appoint to an office, function, or dignity
Legal authority constitutes all magistrates.
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 on the Web
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—
Vogue, 11 Sep. 2023
So what does constitute a diversion-worthy accident?
—Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2023
Asian and Asian American applicants constituted 26 percent of applicants and 19 percent of finalists.
—Michael Powell, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
After the defense attorneys accused prosecutors of withholding information favorable to their case, Sammartino, the judge, ordered a three-day hearing in April 2022 — ultimately ruling that prosecutors had failed to turned over the information, constituting misconduct.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023
The fight over what constitutes approval of tax measures is not new at the state and local level.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
Whether that constitutes a rule break was being debated.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 30 Aug. 2023
Max Whitaker, head of bespoke at Thom Sweeney, says that a yacht actually constitutes a convenient meeting place for a visiting tailor.
—Gemma Harris, Robb Report, 26 Aug. 2023
Where sales from stock once constituted 90 percent of volume, now fewer than 10 percent of customers take delivery from stock, with 90 percent of sales built to order.
—Jamie Kitman, Car and Driver, 26 Aug. 2023
See More
Vogue, 11 Sep. 2023
So what does constitute a diversion-worthy accident?
—Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2023
Asian and Asian American applicants constituted 26 percent of applicants and 19 percent of finalists.
—Michael Powell, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
After the defense attorneys accused prosecutors of withholding information favorable to their case, Sammartino, the judge, ordered a three-day hearing in April 2022 — ultimately ruling that prosecutors had failed to turned over the information, constituting misconduct.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023
The fight over what constitutes approval of tax measures is not new at the state and local level.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
Whether that constitutes a rule break was being debated.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 30 Aug. 2023
Max Whitaker, head of bespoke at Thom Sweeney, says that a yacht actually constitutes a convenient meeting place for a visiting tailor.
—Gemma Harris, Robb Report, 26 Aug. 2023
Where sales from stock once constituted 90 percent of volume, now fewer than 10 percent of customers take delivery from stock, with 90 percent of sales built to order.
—Jamie Kitman, Car and Driver, 26 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'constitute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near constitute
Cite this Entry
“Constitute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constitute. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
constitute
verb
con·sti·tute
ˈkän(t)-stə-ˌt(y)üt
constituted; constituting
1
: to appoint to an office or duty
constituted authorities
2
: set up sense 4, establish
a fund was constituted to help needy students
3
: make up sense 2, form
twelve months constitute a year
Legal Definition
constitute
transitive verb
con·sti·tute
ˈkän-stə-ˌtüt, -ˌtyüt
1
: to appoint to an office or function
those who are constituted heirs or named legatees—Louisiana Civil Code
Louisiana Civil Codelegal authority constitutes all magistrates
3
a
: to put (as an agreement) into required form
b
: to qualify as
a letter can constitute a will—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.
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
More from Merriam-Webster on constitute
Nglish: Translation of constitute for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of constitute for Arabic Speakers
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