INDEX:
1. to be something
2. when a group of people or things form something together
3. to form a particular part or amount of something
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ CONSIST OF
↑ MEANING
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1. to be something
▷ be /bi, strong biː/ [verb]
▪ Sacramento is the capital of California.
▪ Laurence Olivier was the greatest actor of his generation.
▪ The state of the economy is our biggest problem.
▪ The Somme was the bloodiest battle of the First World War.
▪ When it’s finished, it will be the biggest office development in Europe.
▷ represent /ˌreprɪˈzent/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
represent an improvement/an obstacle/a challenge etc
formal
used to say that something, especially something important or serious, should be thought of as a particular thing :
▪ There is no doubt that this new type of tyre represents a major advance in road safety.
▪ Einstein’s theory represented a significant departure from previous theories.
▷ form /fɔːʳm/ [transitive verb]
if something forms something else, it has physical qualities that gives it a particular purpose or makes it have a particular effect :
▪ The river formed a natural boundary between the two countries.
▪ Oils produced by the skin form a protective barrier against infection and disease.
▷ make /meɪk/ [verb]
to have the necessary qualities to be a particular thing or a particular type of person :
▪ He’ll make a good father.
▪ This sofa doesn’t make much of a bed.
▪ You’re quick but you’ll never make a football player.
▷ constitute /ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt, ˈkɒnstətjuːtǁˈkɑːnstə̇tuːt/ [transitive verb] formal
if actions or behaviour constitute something, they are officially or legally considered as being that thing :
▪ The local authority decided that the present housing conditions constituted a risk for the mother and baby.
▪ The spread of international crime and corruption constitutes a major threat to the global economy.
2. when a group of people or things form something together
▷ make up/form /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp, fɔːʳm/ [verb]
to be part of a particular group of people or to be the thing on which something else is based :
▪ The six states that make up New England are Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
▪ These seven people made up the entire population of Oakminster.
▪ The results of these studies formed the basis of state education policy in the 1960s.
▷ constitute /ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt, ˈkɒnstətjuːtǁˈkɑːnstə̇tuːt/ [transitive verb not in progressive] formal
if a number of people or things together constitute something, they are the parts that together form that thing :
▪ Alaska is the largest of the fifty states that constitute the USA.
▪ It is sometimes difficult to believe that the different groups living within our borders constitute a single society.
▪ Because journalists don’t think the congressman constitutes much of a threat, they don’t write or broadcast stories about him.
▷ add up to /ˌæd ˈʌp tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb not in progressive]
if a group of different things add up to something, together they are that thing or they provide what is needed for the thing to exist :
▪ Good wine, excellent food, and interesting company - it all added up to a splendid evening.
▪ It adds up to a recipe for financial disaster.
3. to form a particular part or amount of something
▷ account for/represent /əˈkaʊnt fɔːʳ, ˌreprɪˈzent/ [transitive phrasal verb not in progressive/transitive verb not in progressive]
to be a particular amount or part of something :
▪ In Japan, firms employing over 1000 people accounted for 50% of total employment.
▪ This project alone represents half of the department’s budget.
▪ Women now represent 48% of the workforce.
▷ constitute /ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt, ˈkɒnstətjuːtǁˈkɑːnstə̇tuːt/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to be a particular part of something - use this especially to talk about scientific or official facts and figures :
▪ Children constitute four out of every ten poor people in the United States.
▪ Nitrogen constitutes 78% of the earth’s atmosphere.