英英释义：to be considered to be something
“constitute”是及物动词，除了有大家比较熟悉的“组成、构成”的意思外，还可以作“算是、可以被视为”。这种用法比较正式一点，出现的频次也很高。在有的语境中可以用它替换 amount to 或 be equivalent of 等词。
sentence
1. Failing to complete the work on time constitutes a breach of the labor contract.
2. Testing patients without their consent would constitute a professional and legal offense.
3. Although the company won the bid, it could hardly constitute a victory.
4. Another problem is the government’s narrow view of what constitutes a family, says Jean Yeung Wei-Jun of the National University of Singapore: two heterosexual parents with a male breadwinner. Many regulations support this definition.（这句中的 constitute 意思就是“算是”）
5. America’s Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for iPhone users to sue Apple. The case centres on whether Apple’s App Store, which takes a 30% cut of all sales, constitutes an unfair monopoly. Unlike Android-based rivals, Apple’s phones are designed to prevent users from installing apps from other sources.（这里 constitute 可以理解为“算是、可以称得上是”）
6. On May 14th the state’s Senate passed a bill that would, in effect, ban abortion outright. Signed into law by the governor the following day, it constitutes the harshest abortion legislation passed in America in half a century.（这里的 constitue 和 is 同义，不过相比来说 is 更加绝对，而 constitute 表示“可以算是”，更留有余地。）
practice
这位父亲去年一年都没参加家长会，可以被视作是不负责任。
Absent from all parents meeting last year, the father constitutes an irresponsible one.
参考翻译：That the father did not attend any of the parents' meetings last year constitutes irresponsibility. 或 The father failed to attend parents' meetings last year, constituting irresponsibility.
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