constitute

verb

con·​sti·​tute ˈkän(t)-stə-ˌtüt 

-ˌtyüt

constituted; constituting

transitive verb

1

: make up, form, compose

12 months constitute a year.

… high school dropouts who constitute a major problem in large city slums.

—J. B. Conant

2

: set up, establish: such as

a

: enact

regulations as are constituted by the government

b

: found

constitute a provisional government

c(1)

: to give due or lawful form to

an agreement constituted by writing

(2)

: to legally process

3

: to appoint to an office, function, or dignity

Legal authority constitutes all magistrates.

Synonyms

• compose
• comprise
• form
• make up

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

Nothing provided on this site constitutes tax advice. —Andrew Rosen, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

All that fuel, burned up by all those miles driven, made lead pervasive in the air and soil and constituted the single largest exposure source of lead for more than a generation. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2024

The company remains dependent on its relationships with major federal customers, which constitute a significant portion of its revenue. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 4 Dec. 2024

What constitutes a violation of the UN Genocide Convention? —Nada Bashir, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

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

legal authority constitutes all magistrates

2

: establish, found

to constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court

—U.S. Constitution art. I

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.

failure to act may constitute negligence

c

: to form the substance or whole of

the bonds constituted the entire estate