constituency

noun

con·stit·u·en·cy | \ kən-ˈstich-wən(t)-sē

, -ˈsti-chə-, -ˈsti-chü-ən(t)-\

plural constituencies

Definition of constituency

1a : a body of citizens entitled to elect a representative (as to a legislative or executive position) the governor's liberal constituency

b : the residents in an electoral district The senator's constituency includes a large minority population.

c : an electoral district

2a : a group or body that patronizes, supports, or offers representation creating … a grass-roots constituency for continuing the project— Fred Reed

b : the people involved in or served by an organization (such as a business or institution) … regards its corporate customers as its prime constituency.— Andrew Hacker

Examples of constituency in a Sentence

The senator's constituency includes a large minority population. He was elected to represent a Liverpool constituency.

Recent Examples on the Web

Both Perot and Trump were wealthy businessmen who came from outside the political system and built constituencies more loyal to them than to any party. — Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Bitter medicine of Perot’s 1992 campaign wouldn’t sell today," 10 July 2019 African American women, after all, are the Democratic Party’s most loyal constituency and thus, the gatekeepers to the presidential nomination. — Dahleen Glanton, chicagotribune.com, "Column: When it comes to courting black women voters, Elizabeth Warren is no Hillary Clinton. And that’s a good thing.," 8 July 2019 The shifting political winds increased the challenges facing Mr. Banks, who has had to navigate many constituencies within the real-estate industry. — Keiko Morris, WSJ, "Chief of New York’s Top Real-Estate Group to Step Down," 26 June 2019 The New Hampshire Democratic Party has launched a digital ad targeting Gov. Chris Sununu following his pro-life pick of Gordon MacDonald for New Hampshire's Supreme Court, a judge with a history of representing pro-life lawmakers and constituencies. — Caitlin Conant, CBS News, "2020 Daily Trail Markers: How the Democratic candidates are prepping for the debate," 25 June 2019 That $5,000 can be significant to offices that have a high constituency demand. — Darcy Costello, The Courier-Journal, "Metro Council members could use more neighborhood money on their offices under proposal," 24 June 2019 The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority doesn’t account for members’ maternity leave, leaving budgets for municipal work and constituency casework uncovered. — Kristen Bellstrom, Fortune, "Remembering Gloria Vanderbilt: The Broadsheet," 18 June 2019 Days ahead of Britain’s referendum on whether to leave the European Union, pro-refugee British Member of Parliament Jo Cox was killed by a far-right extremist in her constituency in June 2016. — Washington Post, "Germany fears far-right violence after pro-refugee politician killed and others threatened," 21 June 2019 There are, after all, no members who count as their constituency the entire country. — Jay Cost, National Review, "Congress Should Fix Itself before Reclaiming Its Power," 14 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'constituency.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.