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:
These zones can also often incorporate lower-income neighborhoods near wealthier ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Participants were instructed to eat their peanuts in the morning or afternoon, but they could choose how to incorporate them into their daily routine.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
Locally, the Theodore Payne Foundation requires gardens to incorporate at least 50% native plants to be considered for its annual native garden tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
It is, Moe points out, “to incorporate more conservative assumptions about how the market may price underlying fundamentals.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 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
It incorporates multiple long-haul and local flights and covers thousands of miles from the Amazon to the Andes.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Favuzza believes that there could be upside to the 40% growth rate, especially if the company incorporates the impact from Trainium sales.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
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
It incorporates some of Mr. Coleman’s structural ideas and fully embraces Sam Rivers’s ethos, which values spontaneity above all else.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 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
Its versatility could also allow it to be incorporated into several types of dental products, potentially benefiting patients of different ages with enamel erosion, tooth sensitivity, or other problems involving exposed dentin.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
Lumentum makes lasers, chips and optical interconnectivity hardware that are incorporated into data-center servers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
They also incorporated the geological ages of fossil specimens, helping them estimate when different evolutionary branches separated.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
Located 47 miles east of Los Angeles in the northwest corner of Riverside County, Jurupa Valley wasn’t incorporated as a city until 2011.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
Scientists at the Department of Agriculture laboratory in Orlando, Florida, are now sterilizing the housefly in laboratory experiments and even in some field trials, using chemicals incorporated in suitable foods.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
After incorporating fats other than from milk and cocoa butter, the Hershey Company switched the labeling on some goodies including Almond Joy, Mr. Goodbar and Rolo from “milk chocolate” to “chocolate candy.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
But Kerwin said the company’s decision not to plow into the current spending race — instead focusing on incorporating AI into products and software — was a strength.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 1, 2026
The researchers suggest that incorporating power, danger, and structure could eventually help AI models interpret language more accurately and explain their assessments more clearly.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
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
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.
