constituency

Everyday

1. (politics, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia) An area of a country whose voters elect one or more members to parliament. tree →
2. The people who live and vote in such an area. tree →
3. A group of people who support someone or whose interests someone represents. tree →

In the lessons

In citizenship and politics lessons it explains how MPs are elected in the UK: each constituency elects one MP. In news at election time it is used a lot. Phrases: "my constituency", "a marginal constituency", "constituency MP".

Examples

• There are 650 constituencies in the UK. tree →
• Our constituency elected a new MP. tree →
• The MP held a meeting for people in her constituency. tree →
• Ireland's constituencies elect several members each. tree →
• He visits his constituency every weekend. tree →

Note

Plural: constituencies. In the USA, the area is usually called a "district". Also related: "constituent" (a voter in a constituency).