constituency

noun

con·​stit·​u·​en·​cy kən-ˈstich-wən(t)-sē 

-ˈsti-chə-,

-ˈsti-chü-ən(t)-

plural constituencies

1

a

: 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

2

a

: 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

By better communicating their upsides, these institutions can help sustain their legitimacy and create a constituency of supporters. —Allison Carnegie, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2024

Merz represents the constituency of Hochsauerlandkreis in the Bundestag, the region in which he was born, and currently lives in his hometown of Brilon. —Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024

In remarks Tuesday, Griffin celebrated the fairness and openness of the process once again, stressing that all council members had to sacrifice pieces of their constituencies and neighborhood assets. —Sam Allard, Axios, 11 Dec. 2024

Advocates like Mathers don’t believe those constituencies will go away just because of an administration change—meaning the pressure to build out the charging network will stay on. —Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see constitute

First Known Use

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing constituency

• multimember constituency
• single-member constituency

Kids Definition

constituency

noun

con·​stit·​u·​en·​cy kən-ˈstich-(ə-)wən-sē 

plural constituencies

1

: a body of citizens having the right to elect a representative to a legislature

2

: the people living in an electoral district

3

: an electoral district

Legal Definition

constituency

noun

con·​stit·​u·​en·​cy kən-ˈsti-chə-wən-sē 

plural constituencies

1

: a body of citizens entitled to elect a representative (as to a legislative or executive office)

2

: the residents in an electoral district

3

: an electoral district