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
Additionally, in April 2015, Consumer Affairs Victoria launched an investigation into Gibson to determine if her actions constituted consumer fraud, The Guardian reported.
—
Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Then again, there are no rules dictating what constitutes a white rum (or gold or dark rum for that matter), and Equiano’s light, delicate flavor profile fits best in the white rum category.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025
Despite the critical nature of understanding antisemitism, the plan wholly fails to define what constitutes antisemitism.
—Beth Bailey, Fox News, 6 Feb. 2025
An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt:
A 41-year-old man from Bolingbrook was arrested on a warrant at 10:15 a.m. Jan. 31 in the first block of East Ogden Avenue.
—Steve Metsch, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
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Dictionary Entries Near constitute
Cite this Entry
“Constitute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constitute. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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
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
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