Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "constipate" []

  • To cause constipation in. (verb-transitive)
  • To clog or make sluggish; obstruct. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "constipate" in a sentence
  • "Unless they are first ground or chopped very finely, larger more resistant materials like corn, Brussels sprouts, sunflower stalks, cabbage stumps, shrub prunings, etc. will "constipate" a top-loading, bottom-discharging composter."
  • "Barb fretted and worried on those weekends, made special dinners that would help constipate her son, and tried to drum up a reason for her husband to run out of the house."
  • "Now the same people who brought us 8 years of shame constipate the congress and attempt to prevent any good being accomplished even now."