comprise
Americanverb (used with object)
-
comprises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
comprised,
past participle, past
-
comprising
present participle
-
to include or contain.
The Soviet Union comprised several socialist republics.
-
to consist of; be composed of.
The advisory board comprises six members.
-
to form or constitute.
Seminars and lectures comprised the day's activities.
idioms
verb
-
to include; contain
-
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
Synonym Usage
See include.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
comprisesimple
-
comprisessimple
-
have comprisedperfect
-
has comprisedperfect
-
am comprisingprogressive
-
are comprisingprogressive
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is comprisingprogressive
-
have been comprisingperfect progressive
-
has been comprisingperfect progressive
Past
-
comprisedsimple
-
had comprisedperfect
-
was comprisingprogressive
-
were comprisingprogressive
-
had been comprisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of comprise
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English comprisen, from Middle French compris (past participle of comprendre ), from Latin comprehēnsus; see comprehension
Explanation
When something comprises other things, it is made up of them or formed from them. The periodic table comprises 118 elements, because the whole comprises the parts. In its traditional use, the word comprise is the opposite of compose: if A comprises X, Y, and Z, then X, Y, and Z compose A. But because compose and comprise sound so much alike, people have long confused the two. So now you often hear things like "The band is comprised of a guitarist, a bassist, and a hairy drummer," whereas sticklers would prefer "is composed of" in that sentence. The word is undergoing a usage shift, making it just as hairy as that drummer!
Vocabulary lists containing comprise
List 1
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Hatchet
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Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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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:
Cases in the U.S. comprise only the smallest fraction of those numbers, with annual deaths usually in the low hundreds and diagnosed cases in the thousands.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Total orders for durable goods – which comprise goods meant to last three years or more – increased in June by 0.3% to $334.8 billion, compared with a 4% decrease in May.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
For Dan Tana’s, as far as ghosts go, they comprise a who’s who of Hollywood royalty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Not only does the stock market comprise a greater share of American wealth than ever before, but it has also reached new extremes in terms of heft relative to the broader economy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Name the component structures that comprise the hand.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Her forearm tattoo comprises geometric shapes symbolising different members and aspects of her family.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Lilly’s GLP-1 franchise, which includes Zepbound/Mounjaro and Foundayo, comprises 65% of its sales.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Through the sovereign-wealth fund, which comprises numerous smaller funds, officials have funneled more money into schools and college tuition, as well as a recently launched, first-of-its-kind statewide universal child-care program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
In fact, those who were born in the 1950s, which comprises the majority of the baby boom generation, have shifted to the Democrats, especially the women.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
In Newspeak it is called doublethink, although doublethink comprises much else as well.
From "1984" by George Orwell
“It is shocking that Defendants think installing a Board of Directors comprised primarily of Nexstar executives would not create influence over Tegna management,” Nunley wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
In the process, McElwee creates a patchwork tapestry, comprised of vignettes across time.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
In the first quarter, Apple accounted for around 52% of new health-tracking smartwatch, wristband and ring units shipped, while Google comprised 11.3% and Oura represented 9.8%, according to data from research firm IDC.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
As Jensen noted Monday, “Quantinuum envisions a hybrid compute world” comprised of CPUs, GPUs, and quantum processors, “with quantum computing as the foundational layer.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
The other is comprised of the exterior walls and roof, a brick-and-concrete shell that fits over the cells like a dish over a stick of butter.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
The upper end, comprising more expensive homes, is humming along, particularly in pricey markets in the Northeast, while the lower end, comprising more affordable homes, is sagging.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Disney said in a statement it will make available Marvel, Star Wars and other content comprising "memorable scenes and moments from Disney movies and shows."
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Our continuing nationwide scan of school system practices has uncovered more than 600 school districts, comprising more than 9,200 schools in 41 states, that openly practice alternative discipline methods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Enhanced formats made up 53% of the domestic weekend’s total, with both film and digital Imax revenue comprising 23.8%.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
There is an underlying force that drives together the several creatures comprising myxotricha, and, then drives the assemblage into union with the termite.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
