Word
constitute
Meanings
to form or make up something as a whole; to be the parts of it
to be considered as; to count as a particular action, situation, or result
Definition
To constitute means to form or make up something as a whole.
To constitute is to be the parts that together create something, or to make something what it is. It is often used in formal writing to explain what elements form a group, total, or system. It can also mean that something counts as a particular kind of action or situation.
Examples
- In this report, international students constitute nearly half of the research team.
- For the committee, repeated absences constitute a serious breach of responsibility.
- I don’t think a single late email should constitute a crisis in our project.
- In the recipe, fresh herbs constitute the final layer of flavor rather than a garnish.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse constitute with consist of and say “The group constitutes of five people” instead of “The group consists of five people” or “Five people constitute the group.”
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.