Definition of constituent
1 : one who authorizes another to act as agent : principal
2 : a member of a constituency pledged to help her elderly constituents
3 : an essential part : component, element The organic constituents of plants, animals, and microorganisms … — Harry S. Mosher et al.
4 : a structural unit of a definable syntactic, semantic, or phonological category that consists of one or more linguistic elements (such as words, morphemes, or features) and that can occur as a component of a larger construction
Read the Latest from M-W
Examples of constituent in a Sentence
She's pledged to help her elderly constituents.
Many senators have received calls from constituents who want them to vote in favor of the law.
the chemical constituents of the liquid
Recent Examples of constituent from the Web
-
Empirical work shows that legislators vote for the interests of their well-off constituents, not the public at large.
-
Now, for the first time, according to the Monmouth poll, a majority of Mr. Christie’s constituents say New Jersey is worse off as a result of his tumultuous tenure.
-
Despite pressure at home and abroad to convene fresh elections amid spiraling inflation, rampant crime and corruption allegations, Maduro has called for a constituent assembly at the end of this month.
-
Some Republican senators are expected to hold town halls and hear from constituents, some of whom are likely to express grievances over the health-care debate.
-
Clark was inspired to tackle online harassment after one of her constituents, video game developer Brianna Wu, suffered an onslaught of internet abuse during the 2014 GamerGate movement.
-
Constituents of Thorpe’s recently voted to increase minimum wage, a move that the Rep. had strongly opposed.
-
Brooks explains, not one to throw any of his constituents under the bus.
-
Both have been criticized for not holding town hall meetings this year, where angry constituents have shown up and directed their fury at GOP lawmakers for their role in the health care debate.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'constituent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of constituent
French constituant, from Middle French, from present participle of constituer to constitute, from Latin constituere —see constitute
Synonym Discussion of constituent
Other Government and Politics Terms
constituent
Definition of constituent
1 : serving to form, compose, or make up a unit or whole : component constituent parts
2 : having the power to create a government or frame or amend a constitution a constituent assembly
constituently
adverbExamples of constituent in a Sentence
The company can be separated into several constituent parts.
Recent Examples of constituent from the Web
-
May 9, 2017 Constituent questions about health care have dominated Labrador’s latest run of town hall meetings around his district, which covers the entire western part of the state from the Canadian border south to the Nevada line.
-
Constituent pressure such as this led two Republican senators to abandon support for Trump’s education secretary nominee, who was confirmed only when Vice President Pence broke a Senate deadlock.
-
Afterward, most constituent mail is scanned and forwarded to congressional offices as an electronic image.
-
Presidents have dealt with constituent mail differently over the years.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'constituent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of constituent
Latin constituent-, constituens, present participle of constituere —see 1constituent
Other Government and Politics Terms
CONSTITUENT Defined for English Language Learners
constituent
playDefinition of constituent for English Language Learners
-
: any one of the people who live and vote in an area : a member of a constituency
-
: one of the parts that form something
constituent
Definition of constituent for English Language Learners
-
: forming part of a whole
CONSTITUENT Defined for Kids
Definition of constituent for Students
1 : one of the parts or materials of which something is made : element, ingredient
2 : any of the voters who elect a person to represent them
Definition of constituent for Students
: forming part of a whole
Law Dictionary
constituent
Legal Definition of constituent
: having the power to create a government or to frame or amend a constitution a constituent assembly
Learn More about constituent
-
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for constituent Spanish Central: Translation of constituent Nglish: Translation of constituent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of constituent for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up constituent? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!