comprise

[kuhm-prahyz]

verb (used with object)

comprised, comprising 

1. to include or contain.

   The Soviet Union comprised several socialist republics.

2. to consist of; be composed of.

   The advisory board comprises six members.

3. to form or constitute.

   Seminars and lectures comprised the day's activities.

comprise

/ kəmˈpraɪz /

verb

1. to include; contain

2. to constitute the whole of; consist of

   her singing comprised the entertainment

Usage

The use of of after comprise should be avoided: the library comprises (not comprises of ) 500 000 books and manuscripts

Other Word Forms

• comprisable adjective
• comprisal noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of comprise¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English comprisen, from Middle French compris (past participle of comprendre ), from Latin comprehēnsus; comprehension

Word History and Origins

Origin of comprise¹

C15: from French compris included, understood, from comprendre to _comprehend

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. be comprised of, to consist of; be composed of.

   The sales network is comprised of independent outlets and chain stores.

Synonym Study

See include.

Example Sentences

If the fund industry’s equivalent to a leading man is a growth fund comprised of stocks with large market capitalizations, an active ETF would be a character actor with a raspy voice.

Read more on Barron's

GPS - the Global Positioning System - comprises many small satellites orbiting the Earth.

Read more on Science Daily

With the host nations assured of berths as co-hosts, qualifying in the region was changed to feature a final round comprising three groups of four.

Read more on Barron's

The past decade comprises the ten hottest individual years ever recorded.

Read more on Barron's

So, too, does “Sèvres Extraordinaire! Sculpture From 1740 Until Today”—a chronological show comprising more than 160 ceramic artworks at the Bard Graduate Center.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• amount to 
• compose 
• constitute 
• contain 
• cover 
• encompass 
• form 
• hold 
• include 
• involve 
• span