constitute
- 01 C1 Advanced
to be the parts that make up a whole thing.
to be the components or elements that form a whole. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the entity being formed.
Simple“Twelve people constitute a jury in many legal systems.”
In context“The various ethnic and linguistic groups that constitute the nation's population contribute to its unique cultural identity.”
UsageOften used in the active voice where the parts are the subject and the whole is the object.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to be seen as or to count as something, especially in a legal or official way.
to be equivalent to or to amount to something. Often used to define whether an action meets a specific legal or formal criteria.
Simple“The police stated that his actions did not constitute a crime.”
In context“The committee must determine whether the leaked documents constitute a significant breach of national security protocols.”
UsageCommonly used in legal and administrative contexts to define boundaries of behavior.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
to officially start or create an organization, committee, or law.
to set up, establish, or enact by a formal or legal process.
Simple“The new government was constituted after the national elections.”
In context“The commission was formally constituted under the authority of the 1994 Act to oversee telecommunications standards.”
Usage constitute barrier · constitute source
“If a self-employed person works during the first six mandatory weeks of paternity leave, this constitutes fraud in the eyes of Spanish law.”
“Later in the podcast, Netanyahu appeared to reference comments made by JD Vance in 2022 that the UK may constitute the first nuclear-armed “Islamist country”.”
From Middle English constituten, from Latin cōnstitūtum, neuter of cōnstitūtus, past participle of Latin cōnstituō (“to put in place; set up; establish”), from con- (“with”) + statuō (“to put up; establish”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.