- the act of constituting or state of being constituted
- the fundamental political principles on which a state is governed, esp when considered as embodying the rights of the subjects of that state
- (often capital) (in certain countries, esp Australia and the US) a statute embodying such principles
- a person's state of health
- a person's disposition of mind; temperament
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
con•sti•tu•tion /ˌkɑnstɪˈtuʃən, -ˈtyu-/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- the way in which a thing is formed or arranged;
makeup or composition of a thing:[countable* usually singular]the constitution of the members of the department. - [countable* usually singular] the physical character of the body with regard to health, etc.: He had a strong constitution and seldom caught a cold.
- Government[proper noun;
the + Constitution] the fundamental law of the U.S., put into effect in 1789. - Government the system of fundamental principles according to which something is governed:[countable]the club's constitution and by-laws.
- Government[countable] the document in which these principles are written.
con•sti•tu•tion
(kon′sti to̅o̅′shən, -tyo̅o̅′-),USA pronunciation n.
Constitution, The,
- the way in which a thing is composed or made up;
makeup;
composition:the chemical constitution of the cleanser. - the physical character of the body as to strength, health, etc.:He has a strong constitution.
- Psychology, Medicine[Med., Psychol.]the aggregate of a person's physical and psychological characteristics.
- the act or process of constituting;
establishment. - the state of being constituted;
formation. - any established arrangement or custom.
- Government(cap.) See Constitution of the United States.
- Governmentthe system of fundamental principles according to which a nation, state, corporation, or the like, is governed.
- Governmentthe document embodying these principles.
- [Archaic.]character or condition of mind;
disposition;
temperament.
- Latin constitūtiōn- (stem of constitūtiō). See constitute, -ion
- Anglo-French
- Middle English constitucion edict, ordinance 1350–1400
Constitution, The,
- American Historyan American 44-gun frigate, famous for its exploits in the War of 1812 and popularly called "Old Ironsides.''
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
constitution /ˌkɒnstɪˈtjuːʃən/ n
'constitution' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Albania
- Algeria
- amend
- Andorra
- Angola
- Bagehot
- Bill of Rights
- Cambodia
- charter
- clone
- composition
- constituent
- constitutional
- constitutionalism
- criminal law
- delicacy
- dictator
- Eddington
- ERA
- fitness
- form
- genetics
- genotype
- hardy
- hydrate
- iron
- island
- Ito
- Japan
- limited
- Lycurgus
- Madison
- make-up
- molecular genetics
- mujaheddin
- Orangeman
- patriate
- personhood
- phenotype
- Pinckney
- polity
- preamble
- puny
- radical
- Randolph
- robust
- state
- system
- transposon
- absolute