constituency

noun con·stit·u·en·cy \ kən-ˈstich-wən(t)-sē , -ˈsti-chə- , -ˈsti-chü-ən(t)- \

Definition of constituency

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

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

See constituency defined for English-language learners

See constituency defined for kids

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 of constituency from the Web

Democrats say the real purpose is to keep minorities and other Democratic-leaning constituencies from voting.

— michael wines, Alaska Dispatch News, "Under fire as it begins, Trump’s voter fraud panel meets," 20 July 2017
But that battle was a decade ago and in a race crowded with progressives, politicians and attorneys, the woman friends describe as quiet and thoughtful may have trouble attracting an energized constituency who will work to get her elected.

— lynn thompson, The Seattle Times, "In crowded Seattle mayoral race, Cary Moon offers progressive vision and faces challenge to stand apart," 14 July 2017
Timms, constituency is in the London borough which has seen the highest rate of attacks in the city, wants that to go further.

— tara john, Time, "Acid Attacks Have Become a Gruesome Criminal Trend in the U.K.," 14 July 2017
U.S. Soccer and this country's league owners and administrators must never forget their constituency.

— brian straus, SI.com, "Chuck Blazer's trail of corruption, crime leaves U.S. colleagues facing his complex legacy," 13 July 2017
Importantly for her upcoming role, Fitzgerald is president-elect of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, a position reflecting a vote of confidence from a key CDC constituency—state public health workers.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "Trump taps Georgia health director to lead CDC," 7 July 2017
Others were persuaded by pro-business associations and a major anti-abortion group, which represent huge GOP constituencies.

— cincinnati enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "John Kasich scores another victory over GOP on Medicaid," 6 July 2017
If Congress can’t reform Medicaid, how can it ever be expected to make changes to Social Security and Medicare, which have wider and more powerful constituencies?

— michael tanner, National Review, "The Uninspiring Medicaid Debate," 5 July 2017
Companies need to be able to do the same thing, to go to their constituencies.

— WSJ, "The President Tweets About You. What Do You Do?," 18 June 2017

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.