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

Despite his liberal constituency, Chopp has led with an eye to retaining the Democratic House majority, at times declining to advance bills sought by the left wing of his caucus. — Joseph O’sullivan, The Seattle Times, "Long-serving Frank Chopp to step down as Washington’s state House speaker after 2019 session," 27 Nov. 2018 Shulkin, a favorite of Trump’s who by most accounts tallied multiple wins in his first year serving a crucial constituency for the president, is fighting to regain his standing amid a mutiny. — Washington Post, BostonGlobe.com, "A war inside the VA is paralyzing Trump’s plan to fix veterans’ care," 9 Mar. 2018 If Hawley is right, then the alt-right’s constituency isn’t a tiny fringe. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "Study: 24 million white Americans think like the alt-right," 10 Aug. 2018 That’s the kind of stuff Congress should be thinking hard about, with hearings, experts, and carefully crafted language that leaves every constituency happy. — Cristian Farias, Daily Intelligencer, "Supreme Court: Forget What We Said Before About Not Having to Pay Sales Tax Online," 21 June 2018 Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, whose constituency is heavily affected by the noise and pollution from Heathrow, once promised to lie down in front of bulldozers rather than allow the airport to expand. — Washington Post, "UK gov’t backs expansion of London’s Heathrow Airport," 5 June 2018 Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said Johnson, who represents the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency near Heathrow, should resign. — Danica Kirka, USA TODAY, "UK lawmakers approve big expansion for Heathrow Airport," 26 June 2018 Changes to Dodd-Frank with no domestic constituency to lobby for them, such as to rules on foreign banks which their executives consider deeply unfair, have fallen by the wayside. — The Economist, "Small changeAn attempt to revise the Dodd-Frank Act reaches a milestone," 8 Mar. 2018 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 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.