incorporate

¹ American  

[in-kawr-puh-reyt, in-kawr-per-it, -prit] / ɪnˈkɔr pəˌreɪt, ɪnˈkɔr pər ɪt, -prɪt /

verb (used with object)

incorporated, incorporating

1. to form into a legal corporation.

2. to put or introduce into a body or mass as an integral part or parts.

   to incorporate revisions into a text.

3. to take in or include as a part or parts, as the body or a mass does.

   His book incorporates his earlier essay.

4. to form or combine into one body or uniform substance, as ingredients.

   Synonyms:

   personify, amalgamate, mix, blend, assimilate, absorb

5. to embody; exemplify.

   His book incorporates all his thinking on the subject.

6. to form into a society or organization.

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verb (used without object)

incorporated, incorporating

1. to form a legal corporation.

2. to unite or combine so as to form one body.

adjective

1. legally incorporated, as a company.

2. combined into one body, mass, or substance.

3. Archaic. embodied.

incorporate ² American  

[in-kawr-per-it, -prit] / ɪnˈkɔr pər ɪt, -prɪt /

adjective

Archaic.

1. not embodied; incorporeal.

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incorporate ¹ British  

verb

1. to include or be included as a part or member of a united whole

2. to form or cause to form a united whole or mass; merge or blend

3. to form (individuals, an unincorporated enterprise, etc) into a corporation or other organization with a separate legal identity from that of its owners or members

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adjective

1. combined into a whole; incorporated

2. formed into or constituted as a corporation

incorporate ² British  

/ -prɪt, ɪnˈkɔːpərɪt /

adjective

1. an archaic word for incorporeal

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Other Word Forms

• incorporation
  noun
• incorporative
  adjective
• nonincorporative
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of incorporate¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin incorporātus, past participle of incorporāre “to embody, incarnate”; see in- ², corporate

Origin of incorporate²

First recorded in 1525–35; from Late Latin incorporātus “not embodied”; see in- ³, corporate

Explanation

To incorporate is to include or integrate a part into the whole. Incorporate is a more active version of the word "include"; if you incorporate, you are adding something to the mix. In the business world, to incorporate is a legal process. In other usages, the word incorporate really just means to include something or work something into whatever was already existing. You could incorporate your new roommate's furniture into the decor of your apartment, but you may not find a way to incorporate her cat's litter box.

Example Sentences

Incorporate colonial-inspired details like brass hardware, woven textiles and equestrian artwork to add depth and character to your space.

From Seattle Times • May 21, 2024

Business school deans take note: Incorporate the layoff debacle in your MBA studies.

From Washington Post • Nov. 9, 2022

Incorporate generous helpings into new beds and borders, or add an amount equal to half the removed soil to individual planting holes.

From Washington Times • May 24, 2022

Incorporate dialogue, details of setting, and other story elements to develop characters and create tension.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

Or with the flesh and some juyce of Quinces, make Marmulate in the Ordinary way; which whiles it is boiling, put to it the Mucilage of the seeds to Incorporate it with the Marmulate.

From The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened by MacDonell, Anne

Related Words

• absorb
• assimilate
• blend
• consolidate
• cover
• embody
• fuse
• integrate
• merge
• mix
• organize