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

• comprisal noun
• comprisable adjective

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 IWA is a political group comprised of 90 women's organisations and movements, as well as various civil society groups including labor unions, human rights organisations and indigenous communities.

From BBC

Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg make up the south-western group, while Norway, Sweden, and Denmark comprise the northern group.

From BBC

Crimes which disproportionately affect women, including harassment, stalking and controlling behaviour, comprise 37.9% of unrecorded violent crime and must be better recorded, the report found.

From BBC

The 16 entrants comprise of eight teams based on their joint rankings, with the other eight given wildcards by US Open organisers.

From BBC

He said it had already established a new senior working group comprising government officials and Turing institute staff.

From BBC

Related Words

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