constable

noun

con·​sta·​ble ˈkän(t)-stə-bəl  ˈkən(t)- 

1

: a high officer of a royal court or noble household especially in the Middle Ages

2

: the warden or governor of a royal castle or a fortified town

3

a

: a public officer usually of a town or township responsible for keeping the peace and for minor judicial duties

b

chiefly British : police officer

especially : one ranking below sergeant

Synonyms

• bobby [British]
• bull [slang]
• cop
• copper
• flatfoot [slang]
• fuzz
• gendarme
• lawman
• officer
• police officer
• policeman
• shamus [slang]

Examples of constable in a Sentence

reported the crime to the local constable

Recent Examples on the Web

Last November, a jury rejected his claim that Nowland posed a threat and found the former senior constable guilty of breaching his duty of care by deploying his weapon against the elderly woman, who later died of her injuries. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025

The constable’s office said the victim was flown to a hospital, where his condition is unknown. —Mike Stunson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Mar. 2025

On Friday, as residents gathered at the Bilal mosque for afternoon prayers, several constables, sheriff’s deputies and private security guards stood watch. —Edgar Sandoval, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025

The budget also covers the Health Department, sheriff's office, circuit court divisions, prosecuting attorney, coroner, constables, Office of Emergency Management, museum, Veterans Services and Cooperative Extension. —Eplunus Colvin, arkansasonline.com, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English conestable, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin comes stabuli, literally, officer of the stable

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing constable

• chief constable
• police constable

Kids Definition

constable

noun

con·​sta·​ble ˈkän(t)-stə-bəl  ˈkən(t)- 

1

: a high officer of a royal court or noble household in the Middle Ages

2

: the person in charge of a royal castle or a town

3

: a police officer usually of a village or small town

Etymology

Middle English conestable "chief military or police officer of a court or royal domain," from early French conestable (same meaning), from Latin comes stabuli, literally, "officer of the stables," from comes "companion, member of a royal court" and stabuli, genitive of stabulum "stable" — related to count entry 3, stable entry 1

Word Origin

A constable in the Middle Ages was a very important official in a court, even though the title meant "officer of the stable." Early French conestable came from the Latin phrase comes stabuli, meaning "officer of the stable." Being in charge of a ruler's horses in those days was something like being in charge of all the vehicles—tanks, trucks, airplanes, helicopters—of a modern army. As time went on, the title remained, but it came to describe the person in charge of guarding a castle or fortified city. From this idea came the modern sense: "a police officer."

Legal Definition

constable

noun

con·​sta·​ble ˈkän-stə-bəl, ˈkən- 

: a public officer usually of a town or township responsible for keeping the peace and for minor judicial duties

Etymology

Old French conestable military commander, chief of the royal household, from Late Latin comes stabuli, literally, officer of the stable

Biographical Definition

Constable

biographical name

Con·​sta·​ble ˈkən(t)-stə-bəl 

ˈkän(t)-

John 1776–1837 English painter