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

Other constituencies and supporters have stepped up. — Danielle Lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville City FC breaks ground on new soccer stadium as costs rise," 28 June 2018 These two lawmakers are at opposite ends of a bitter Republican showdown over immigration, with Denham wooing a moderate, diverse constituency and Jordan looking to energize the GOP's tea party base. — Eliza Collins, USA TODAY, "Immigration: GOP divide over issue could have far-reaching implications for Ryan, 2018 midterms," 22 May 2018 But Ellison expanded upon the limited existing Sanders constituency and won 200 votes (out of 435). — Jim Geraghty, National Review, "The Berniecrats Regroup," 29 Jan. 2018 No constituency is more responsible for the president’s election than white Evangelical Christians, who backed Trump over Clinton by a margin of 81 to 16 percent. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "The Fate of Abortion Rights in America May Now Lie With These Senators," 27 June 2018 The first constituency to give up on theocracy was the students, whose protest in 1999 ended the attempt by the regime to reform itself. — Reuel Marc Gerecht And, WSJ, "Don’t Fear Regime Change in Iran," 11 June 2018 Her ability to excite a natural constituency was in doubt after Houston’s GLBT Political Caucus endorsed White, even though Valdez was the first lesbian to be elected Dallas County sheriff. — Peggy Fikac, San Antonio Express-News, "Valdez: We all should have an opportunity," 17 Feb. 2018 Every meaningful Democratic constituency is now solidly progressive on identity-politics issues. — David French, National Review, "The Democratic Lead Is Shrinking," 9 Feb. 2018 Even some of Trump’s key constituencies would let the ruling stand, including 59 percent of white men, 50 percent of Republicans, 49 percent of Trump voters, and 48 percent of conservatives. — Dana Blanton, Fox News, "Fox News Poll: Jury's out on Kavanaugh, voters want Senate vote before midterms," 13 July 2018

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.