incorporate
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to form into a legal corporation.
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to put or introduce into a body or mass as an integral part or parts.
to incorporate revisions into a text.
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to take in or include as a part or parts, as the body or a mass does.
His book incorporates his earlier essay.
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to form or combine into one body or uniform substance, as ingredients.
- Synonyms:
- personify, amalgamate, mix, blend, assimilate, absorb
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His book incorporates all his thinking on the subject.
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to form into a society or organization.
verb (used without object)
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to form a legal corporation.
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to unite or combine so as to form one body.
adjective
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legally incorporated, as a company.
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combined into one body, mass, or substance.
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Archaic. embodied.
adjective
verb
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to include or be included as a part or member of a united whole
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to form or cause to form a united whole or mass; merge or blend
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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
adjective
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combined into a whole; incorporated
-
formed into or constituted as a corporation
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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incorporatesimple
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incorporatessimple
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have incorporatedperfect
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has incorporatedperfect
-
am incorporatingprogressive
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are incorporatingprogressive
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is incorporatingprogressive
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have been incorporatingperfect progressive
-
has been incorporatingperfect progressive
Past
-
incorporatedsimple
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had incorporatedperfect
-
was incorporatingprogressive
-
were incorporatingprogressive
-
had been incorporatingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing incorporate
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List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
With norteño-sax, the group could incorporate contemporary dating themes into songs that bring people physically closer to one another on the dance floor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Corporate investment, on the other hand, shows little sign of slowing as companies seek to develop or incorporate AI into their businesses before rivals do.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
A stunning jeweled dagger hilt and scabbard from Jahangir’s reign incorporate more than 2,000 diamonds, rubies and emeralds set in an intricate pattern in gold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
As someone who is perennially image-conscious, constantly innovating, and occasionally rash, it’s not surprising that an artist like Madonna would incorporate new technology into her art.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
The material will help guide educators in finding methods to incorporate music with other subjects in a way that is inherently beneficial to teachers and students rather than a hindrance.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh concurred in the outcome based on the federal law that incorporates birthright citizenship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Zoox said Wednesday the new version incorporates several changes to the interior and exterior of the vehicle while keeping its signature carriage-style cabin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
With regard to “quality,” the evidence suggests profitability incorporates any information about expected returns that may be captured by a long list of quality metrics, including convoluted “roll-ups” of many separate measures of firm strength.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
This post incorporates the role of police and crime commissioner and managing the fire service.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
The more intriguing aspect of children’s play is that it naturally incorporates the integration and multimodality that we attempt to instill during education such as dance, drama, and music.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
By Ma Rainey’s own testimony, she’d picked up on and incorporated into her compositions blues lines she’d heard used by wandering folk musicians.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The field first emerged in the 1990s and gained credibility as the UN's climate panel incorporated the work into its assessments.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Villarreal said she’s confident that the Cal/OSHA settlement would continue to hold even if California facilities incorporated the new standards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The massive 360-degree stage, which featured four catwalks into the audience, was also inspired by Gyeonghoeru Pavilion in Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace, while the stage floor incorporated visual elements inspired by the South Korean flag.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
He experienced them, the others, incorporated the babble of their thoughts, heard in his own brain the noise of their many individual existences.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Pixar affirms this by incorporating a Totoro cameo into “Toy Story 3.”
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Researchers say incorporating this newly identified process into climate models should improve projections of future climate change and provide a more complete picture of how Earth's carbon cycle responds to rising temperatures.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
Anthropic even has a public database that captures how people are incorporating AI into their lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
"We, and our partners, are continually incorporating lessons learned into preparations for upcoming matches," they added.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
There is a possibility, eventually, of becoming an associate, of the firm incorporating his name.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
