comprise

verb

com·prise kəm-ˈprīz

comprised; comprising

Synonyms of comprise next

transitive verb

: to be made up of

The factory was to be a vast installation, comprising fifty buildings.—

Jane Jacobs

The play comprises three acts.

: compose, constitute

… a misconception as to what comprises a literary generation.—

William Styron

… about 8 percent of our military forces are comprised of women.—

Jimmy Carter

: to include especially within a particular scope

… civilization as Lenin used the term would then certainly have comprised the changes that are now associated in our minds with "developed" rather than "developing" states.—

The Times Literary Supplement (London)

Comprise vs. Compose: Usage Guide

Although it has been in use since the late 18th century, sense 2 is still attacked as wrong. Why it has been singled out is not clear, but until comparatively recent times it was found chiefly in scientific or technical writing rather than belles lettres. Our current evidence shows a slight shift in usage: sense 2 is somewhat more frequent in recent literary use than the earlier senses. You should be aware, however, that if you use sense 2 you may be subject to criticism for doing so, and you may want to choose a safer synonym such as compose or make up.

Did you know?

The earliest meaning of comprise, "to be made up of" (as in "a team comprising nine players"), is sometimes regarded as the word's only correct use. However, this grammatical prescription denies a well-established sense of the word: "to compose or constitute" (as in "the nine players who comprise the team"). Until relatively recently, this sense appeared mostly in scientific writing, but current evidence shows that it is now somewhat more common in general use than the word's other meanings. You might be most familiar with this disputed use in the passive construction, "to be comprised of" (as in "a team comprised of nine players"). Apologies to the haters: a single sense simply can’t comprise comprise.

Examples of comprise in a Sentence

Each army division comprised 4,500 troops. The play comprises three acts.

Recent Examples on the Web When it’s done, the home will comprise 4,900 square feet with five bedrooms and five and a half baths. —

Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 11 Sep. 2023 That shift was significant enough to make Latinos the county’s second-largest demographic group, comprising 26% of the county’s roughly 5.3 million residents, while fewer than 23% were Black, according to census data. —

Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023 The model uses more than a billion images from half-a-million pathology slides comprising multiple types of cancers. —

Nikolas Lanum, Fox News, 10 Sep. 2023 Venezuelans comprise the majority of migrants staying in homeless shelters in New York. —

Edgar Sandoval, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023 His growing staff comprises 11 team members, most of whom were around before the business transition. —

First National Bank Alaska, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2023 The band’s last album was Blue & Lonesome, in 2016, which comprised blues covers. —

Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 6 Sep. 2023 Under that plan, Black voters comprised 39.93% of Alabama's 2nd District and 50.65% of the 7th District. —

Isabella Murray, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2023 The colleges will pay up to $223 million, and Brown is paying the most The new deal comprises two different agreements. —

Steph MacHado, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comprise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.