constable

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noun con·sta·ble \ ˈkän(t)-stə-bəl , ˈkən(t)- \

Definition of constable

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

See constable defined for English-language learners

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Examples of constable in a Sentence

reported the crime to the local constable

Recent Examples of constable from the Web

No one was injured during the incident, and officers at the scene recovered the handgun that Bey is accused of firing at the constables.

— justin l. mack, Indianapolis Star, "'Sovereign citizen' who sued state for $11.5B accused of shooting at constables," 8 Aug. 2017
It was created after controversy developed late last year around changing Orchard Street to Ruben Davis Drive, for a longtime Fort Bend County constable who died last October.

— NOLA.com, "Confederate symbols, street names draw scrutiny in Texas," 31 July 2017
Sevigny said Democrats nominated Gregory Sims, Carrie Sinish, Carlene Rhea and Charles Hammond for constable.

— ken byron, Courant Community, "Canton Democrats, Republicans Nominate Candidates For Fall Election," 27 July 2017
Kentucky constable has remained an obscure, sometimes lampooned position.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "NKY Notebook: Lawmaker renews effort to get rid of constables," 6 July 2017
Backed by a witness, a Knox County woman says that a deputy sheriff and constable beat her unarmed son without provocation before the deputy then intentionally murdered him.

— andrew wolfson, The Courier-Journal, "Suit: Knox officers beat, then murdered unarmed man who took toddler," 29 June 2017
And so did stories about what a bunch of idiots the constables were.

— wendell jamieson, New York Times, "Tracing the Origins of the New York Police Department," 28 June 2017
In 2016, Caldwell had his first political victory in his run for Talladega County constable, Beat 5.

— howard koplowitz, AL.com, "33-year-old constable Vann Caldwell seeks Democratic nomination for Senate," 16 June 2017
Bacala's House Bill 126 would have let constables, sheriffs, justices of the peace and other law enforcement officials collect certain fees.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoes bills from GOP lawmakers who oppose him," 16 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of constable

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

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First Known Use: 13th century

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constable Synonyms

Synonyms

bobby [British], bull [slang], officer [chiefly British], cop, copper, flatfoot [slang], fuzz, gendarme, lawman, policeman, police officer, shamus [slang]

Related Words

patrolman, policewoman; detective, dick, gumshoe, hawkshaw, inspector, investigator, plainclothesman, sherlock, sleuth, sleuthhound; marshal (also marshall), sheriff, trooper; peace officer; captain, lieutenant, sergeant; constabulary, heat [slang], man, police, police force; operative, private detective, private eye, private investigator

Near Antonyms

civilian

Constable

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biographical name Con·sta·ble \ ˈkən(t)-stə-bəl , ˈkän(t)- \

Definition of Constable

John 1776–1837 English painter

CONSTABLE Defined for English Language Learners

constable

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noun

Definition of constable for English Language Learners

: a public official whose job is similar to that of a police officer but who is elected or appointed rather than hired

CONSTABLE Defined for Kids

constable

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noun con·sta·ble \ ˈkän-stə-bəl , ˈkən- \

Definition of constable for Students

:a police officer usually of a village or small town

Law Dictionary

constable

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noun con·sta·ble \ ˈkän-stə-bəl, ˈkən- \

legal Definition of constable

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

Origin and Etymology of constable

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

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for constable Spanish Central: Translation of constable Nglish: Translation of constable for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of constable for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about constable

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Constable

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CONSTABLE Defined for English Language Learners

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