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:
Dentists could apply the gel directly to teeth using a procedure similar to existing fluoride treatments, making it potentially easy to incorporate into routine dental care.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
These zones can also often incorporate lower-income neighborhoods near wealthier ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 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
One avenue is to incorporate a flat-rate COLA.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Binders were never quite sure what to do with it—to incorporate it as a fold-out page, or as a two-page spread.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Because it incorporates common sense into its systematic approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 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
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
The center incorporates a lab with a glass wall through which visitors can watch paleontologists cleaning bones.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
He incorporated movement and dance into a still medium, and shot his figures against stark white backgrounds, his signature style.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 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
In December, two months after Powerus was incorporated, a contact introduced Fox to Dominari’s president, Kyle Wool.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
To address this problem, the researchers incorporated resistance training into the most intensive phase of weight loss.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
Chicago, incorporated in 1837, was at the center of both, for one reason: location.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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
Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the research suggests that incorporating these two nutrient-rich fruits into everyday meals may help support cardiovascular health.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 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
Throughout his decades of ownership, Love also used the property as a creative retreat, incorporating spaces dedicated to music and relaxation.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
Sing Sing moved in some ways into the future, incorporating a small number of vocational programs, a few school courses, a counseling staff, and expanded opportunities for inmate recreation.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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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.
