a (usually) written document that forms the set of fundamental laws by which a state or organization is governed, especially in relation to the rights of its citizens The Constitution of the United States provides that every citizen is entitled to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
- The text of the new constitution has already been discussed.
- The court ruled that the constitution does not guarantee a right to smoke in public.
- A major legal issue in the United Kingdom is the lack of a written constitution.
- When referring to the constitution of a specific country, the word is usually treated as a proper noun and is therefore capitalised; the Constitution of the United States, the French Constitution.