Word
constitute
Phoneticscon·sti·tute, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈkɑnstəˌtut/
UK/kˈɒnstɪtjˌuːt/
Definitions
01to form or make up
C1 · Advanced Academic · Formal
v. to be the parts that make up a whole thing.
v. to be the components or elements that form a whole. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the entity being formed.
日本語:成す※
“Twelve people constitute a jury in many legal systems.”
“The various ethnic and linguistic groups that constitute the nation's population contribute to its unique cultural identity.”
Usage
Often used in the active voice where the parts are the subject and the whole is the object.
02to be considered as
C1 · Advanced Law Academic · Formal
v. to be seen as or to count as something, especially in a legal or official way.
v. to be equivalent to or to amount to something. Often used to define whether an action meets a specific legal or formal criteria.
“The police stated that his actions did not constitute a crime.”
“The committee must determine whether the leaked documents constitute a significant breach of national security protocols.”
Usage
Commonly used in legal and administrative contexts to define boundaries of behavior.
03to establish or set up
C2 · Proficiency Formal · Technical
v. to officially start or create an organization, committee, or law.
v. to set up, establish, or enact by a formal or legal process.
日本語:組織する※
“The new government was constituted after the national elections.”
“The commission was formally constituted under the authority of the 1994 Act to oversee telecommunications standards.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “constitute” in context.
Verb
01. constitute barrier
“Language differences often constitute a significant barrier to effective international cooperation.”
verb + noun
02. constitute source
“These historical documents constitute a primary source for researchers studying the era.”
verb + noun
Real-World Examples
“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”.” Etymology
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.
Word family
VERB
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/constitute
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0