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

The author emphasizes that Latino voters, particularly younger Gen Z Latinos who comprise 25 percent of that demographic, function as consequential swing voters driven by lived experience rather than party dogma.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Product revenue, a category including Arista’s flagship network switches, missed Raymond James’s estimates while service revenue, comprising cloud solutions and software, came in 18% ahead of what its financial model suggested.

Read more on Barron's

Tech’s dominance in the S&P 500, with the top 10 stocks comprising 40% of market value, exaggerates the current pullback.

Read more on Barron's

Sales from the Irvine, Calif., company’s automotive business—which comprised the majority of total revenue—increased 47%, driven by more vehicle deliveries and higher average selling prices.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Bullish comprises approximately 1% of the total holdings for each of ARK’s three actively managed funds.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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