constable

noun

con·​sta·​ble ˈkän(t)-stə-bəl  ˈkən(t)- 

1

: a high officer of a royal court or noble household especially in the Middle Ages

2

: the warden or governor of a royal castle or a fortified town

3

a

: a public officer usually of a town or township responsible for keeping the peace and for minor judicial duties

b

chiefly British : police officer

especially : one ranking below sergeant

Synonyms of constable

• officer
• policeman
• cop
• sheriff

Examples of constable in a Sentence

reported the crime to the local constable

Recent Examples on the Web

Agencies assisting included Tarrant County constables, police departments from Fort Worth and Forest Hill, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. —Doug Myers, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026

Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said Monday that constables have had good conversations with county leaders ahead of the bill becoming law and that his office was working with neighborhoods to ensure that the fiscal impact to Harris County wouldn’t be significant. —John Lomax V, Houston Chronicle, 30 Jan. 2026

Texas law requires constables to become licensed peace officers with arresting authority within nine months of taking office. —Tracey McManus, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026

Ciarametaro was Gloucester’s harbormaster from 2016 to 2024, and asked the shellfish constable to do his assignments between February and October of 2020 while enrolled at Endicott College. —Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 28 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English conestable, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin comes stabuli, literally, officer of the stable

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing constable

• chief constable
• police constable

Kids Definition

constable

noun

con·​sta·​ble ˈkän(t)-stə-bəl  ˈkən(t)- 

1

: a high officer of a royal court or noble household in the Middle Ages

2

: the person in charge of a royal castle or a town

3

: a police officer usually of a village or small town

Etymology

Middle English conestable "chief military or police officer of a court or royal domain," from early French conestable (same meaning), from Latin comes stabuli, literally, "officer of the stables," from comes "companion, member of a royal court" and stabuli, genitive of stabulum "stable" — related to count entry 3, stable entry 1

Word Origin

A constable in the Middle Ages was a very important official in a court, even though the title meant "officer of the stable." Early French conestable came from the Latin phrase comes stabuli, meaning "officer of the stable." Being in charge of a ruler's horses in those days was something like being in charge of all the vehicles—tanks, trucks, airplanes, helicopters—of a modern army. As time went on, the title remained, but it came to describe the person in charge of guarding a castle or fortified city. From this idea came the modern sense: "a police officer."

Legal Definition

constable

noun

con·​sta·​ble ˈkän-stə-bəl, ˈkən- 

: a public officer usually of a town or township responsible for keeping the peace and for minor judicial duties

Etymology

Old French conestable military commander, chief of the royal household, from Late Latin comes stabuli, literally, officer of the stable

Biographical Definition

Constable

biographical name

Con·​sta·​ble ˈkən(t)-stə-bəl  ˈkän(t)- 

John 1776–1837 English painter