constituency
noun
con·stit·u·en·cy
kən-ˈstich-wən(t)-sē 
-ˈsti-chə-,
-ˈsti-chü-ən(t)-
plural constituencies
1
a
: 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
2
a
: a group or body that patronizes, supports, or offers representation
creating … a grass-roots constituency for continuing the project—
Fred Reed
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
Andrew HackerExamples 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
Abhishek Chinnappa / Getty Images India has a multiparty parliamentary system in which the candidate who receives the most votes in their home constituency wins.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
Women continue to be a core constituency for Democrats, and making sure that party women throughout the country are given specific, concrete tasks that connect directly to the major points of the president’s reelection campaign is another lesson that can be drawn from nearly 80 years ago.
—TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
But most local politicians, including Madre de Dios' members of Peru's national congress, broadly support the miners, who are a powerful constituency in the relatively sparsely populated jungle region.
—Simeon Tegel, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
Though some House Democrats initially voted for the arena, the project was unpopular in Alexandria and never built a strong constituency in the General Assembly, where even some Republicans did not support it.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
Most polls show Biden trailing Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, in a head-to-head contest, in part because Biden is underperforming among Black, Latino, and young voters − three crucial constituencies of the Democratic base.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
And with Jewish Americans and Black Americans providing two key constituencies for Biden's reelection bid, this could be a tough needle to thread.
—Devan Schwartz, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Basically, these speakers were each meant to speak to a slightly different constituency, because RFK Jr.’s main focus for so long has been anti-vaccine activism.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
His willingness to buck his party put him at odds with teachers, trial lawyers and other powerful Democratic constituencies.
—Michael H. Brown, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
Women continue to be a core constituency for Democrats, and making sure that party women throughout the country are given specific, concrete tasks that connect directly to the major points of the president’s reelection campaign is another lesson that can be drawn from nearly 80 years ago.
—TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
But most local politicians, including Madre de Dios' members of Peru's national congress, broadly support the miners, who are a powerful constituency in the relatively sparsely populated jungle region.
—Simeon Tegel, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
Though some House Democrats initially voted for the arena, the project was unpopular in Alexandria and never built a strong constituency in the General Assembly, where even some Republicans did not support it.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
Most polls show Biden trailing Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, in a head-to-head contest, in part because Biden is underperforming among Black, Latino, and young voters − three crucial constituencies of the Democratic base.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
And with Jewish Americans and Black Americans providing two key constituencies for Biden's reelection bid, this could be a tough needle to thread.
—Devan Schwartz, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Basically, these speakers were each meant to speak to a slightly different constituency, because RFK Jr.’s main focus for so long has been anti-vaccine activism.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
His willingness to buck his party put him at odds with teachers, trial lawyers and other powerful Democratic constituencies.
—Michael H. Brown, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'constituency.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near constituency
Cite this Entry
“Constituency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constituency. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
constituency
noun
con·stit·u·en·cy
kən-ˈstich-(ə-)wən-sē
plural constituencies
1
: a body of citizens having the right to elect a representative to a legislature
2
: the people living in an electoral district
3
: an electoral district
Legal Definition
constituency
noun
con·stit·u·en·cy
kən-ˈsti-chə-wən-sē
plural constituencies
1
: a body of citizens entitled to elect a representative (as to a legislative or executive office)
2
: the residents in an electoral district
3
: an electoral district
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