comprise
Americanverb (used with object)
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to include or contain.
The Soviet Union comprised several socialist republics.
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to consist of; be composed of.
The advisory board comprises six members.
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to form or constitute.
Seminars and lectures comprised the day's activities.
idioms
verb
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to include; contain
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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
Related Words
See include.
Other Word Forms
- comprisable adjective
- comprisal noun
Etymology
Origin of comprise
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English comprisen, from Middle French compris (past participle of comprendre ), from Latin comprehēnsus; comprehension
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.
They either comprise all or most of the votes cast when deciding interest rates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Overall, store sales were flat but online sales rose 5% year on year to comprise 42% of total net sales, the company said.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026
Miran is one of seven governors on the board of the Fed, who along with five regional Fed presidents comprise the committee that votes on interest rates.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
Total orders for durable goods—which comprise goods meant to last three years or more—fell 1.4% in the month, compared with a 5.4% rise in November.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
Why, as Arthur Eddington liked to ask, do the nuclei that comprise my elbow not slide effortlessly through the nuclei that comprise the table?
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
