incorporate
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
incorporates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
incorporated,
past participle, past
-
incorporating
present participle
-
to form into a legal corporation.
-
to put or introduce into a body or mass as an integral part or parts.
to incorporate revisions into a text.
-
to take in or include as a part or parts, as the body or a mass does.
His book incorporates his earlier essay.
-
to form or combine into one body or uniform substance, as ingredients.
- Synonyms:
- personify, amalgamate, mix, blend, assimilate, absorb
-
His book incorporates all his thinking on the subject.
-
to form into a society or organization.
verb (used without object)
-
incorporates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
incorporated,
past participle, past
-
incorporating
present participle
-
to form a legal corporation.
-
to unite or combine so as to form one body.
adjective
-
legally incorporated, as a company.
-
combined into one body, mass, or substance.
-
Archaic. embodied.
adjective
verb
-
to include or be included as a part or member of a united whole
-
to form or cause to form a united whole or mass; merge or blend
-
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
-
combined into a whole; incorporated
-
formed into or constituted as a corporation
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
incorporatesimple
-
incorporatessimple
-
have incorporatedperfect
-
has incorporatedperfect
-
am incorporatingprogressive
-
are incorporatingprogressive
-
is incorporatingprogressive
-
have been incorporatingperfect progressive
-
has been incorporatingperfect progressive
Past
-
incorporatedsimple
-
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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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:
Their gestures were filmed as they recorded their lines, so that animators could incorporate those mannerisms into the movie.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
"We already knew that tetraploidy can make cells more tumorigenic, but now we know that if you incorporate the size of the cells, it can be more predictive of tumorigenic potential," Cimini said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
AI has lifted software and accessories inflation by boosting demand for memory and also by higher prices for software products that now incorporate AI features.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Gillis broke character after realizing his mistake, prompting cast member Mikey Day to incorporate the slip into the sketch.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Of course the sagging mattress analogy can take us only so far because it doesn’t incorporate the effect of time.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Maximum parsimony identifies evolutionary relationships that require the fewest changes in characteristics, while Bayesian tip-dating also incorporates statistical estimates of evolutionary history and information about when fossils lived.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
This North American premiere features music by Maxime Jerry Fraisse, and incorporates new and existing tracks from the contemporary Irish folk band Lankum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Expanding on that idea, Ashe incorporates the ebullient sound of a New Orleans funeral band in the song's closing moments.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Comedy Playground’s curriculum incorporates stand-up, led by Spies, which helps kids find their own voice, and improv, led by Katey Mushlin, which teaches them how to work with others and create meaningful bonds, Spies explained.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Finally, assign a narrator, speaking or acting parts, and along with your instruments and sound effects, you have a complete performance that incorporates music composition and creativity along with language arts and theater.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The Vermont team instead incorporated how often words appear in real communication, allowing patterns to emerge that might otherwise remain hidden.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Doctors told us the hospital was not incorporated into the base and said they visited it to pick up medical equipment during the war.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
She noted that Anthropic, which is incorporated as a public benefit corporation, already has a reputation for its focus on helping society.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
Secondees' contributions can be incorporated into journalism that scrutinises the current government, as well as all political parties, the BBC responded.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 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
That point was reinforced by Tracey Dunn, from the Allergy UK incorporating Anaphylaxis UK organisation, who also spoke to teachers at Regent House School.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Meanwhile, the building’s interiors will draw inspiration from Miami’s tropical surroundings, incorporating greenery, natural woods, stone finishes, and textured materials to create a calming atmosphere.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
She started by incorporating a pair of Freightliner eCascadia, then took a chance on Nikola.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
In 2025, researchers began incorporating observations from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's GCOM-W satellite, continuing the long-running effort to measure changes in the planet's polar ice.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
They were a social activity in which young people sang songs while clapping, incorporating drama, and some swinging movements.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
