comprise

verb com·prise \ kəm-ˈprīz \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of comprise

comprised; comprising

transitive verb

1 : to be made up of

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

The play comprises three acts.

2 : 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

3 : 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)

See comprise defined for English-language learners

See comprise defined for kids

comprise was our Word of the Day on 11/10/2013. Hear the podcast!

comprise vs. compose

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.

Examples of comprise in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of comprise from the Web

The 70 players on hand this weekend comprise seven draft picks, 15 undrafted free agents, five first-year pros, eight veteran tryouts and 35 rookie tryouts.

— colleen kane, chicagotribune.com, "Bears roommates Roquan Smith, Joel Iyiegbuniwe get to know each other during rookie minicamp," 11 May 2018
The project includes plans for a 2,500-seat baseball stadium, five or six lacrosse fields, a nine-hole golf course, public market, restaurant and two apartment complexes comprising 410 living units.

— jordyn noennig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Baseball stadium, public market, apartments all in massive new $65 million proposal in Pewaukee," 11 May 2018
Two specially prepared meals - veggie thali and chicken thali - comprise several separate dishes served in individual bowls enabling diners to taste various items.

— jennifer conn, akron reporter, cleveland.com, "Global Kitchen serving Nepalese, Chinese and Indian set to open on Tallmadge Circle May 31," 10 May 2018
The estate’s romantic, naturalistic landscape was cultivated for a half-century by the Olmsted Brothers, a firm comprising the two sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York City’s Central Park.

— virginia a. smith, Philly.com, "New public garden opens Sunday on former Haas estate in Villanova," 8 May 2018
Residents, comprising 200 teams, completed and logged 30 minutes of physical activity each day and took part in events focusing on physical activity, nutrition and healthy behaviors.

— kari barnett, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Delray Beach gets moving for physical challenge," 8 May 2018
However, the new documents, which were first reported by The New York Times, suggest that official events comprised only a small portion of his Italy trip.

— NBC News, "Internal documents pull back the curtain on Pruitt's EPA," 7 May 2018
Put together, the most expensive brands of ice creams only comprised a total 11% of the market.

— merrill fabry, Time, "Ben & Jerry's Is Turning 40. Here's How They Captured a Trend That Changed American Ice Cream," 4 May 2018
As long as everyone in the relationship is aware of the arrangement and consents to it, how many partners one has or how a family is comprised is no one's business aside from the people in those relationships.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Researchers Discover First Known Polyamorous Owl Family," 4 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'comprise.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Comprise has undergone a substantial shift in usage since first appearing in English in the 15th century. For many years usage commentators insisted that the usage of comprise meaning "to be made up of" (as shown in our first example) was correct and comprise meaning "to make up," as in our second example and in phrases like "the players who comprise the team," was not. (This disputed use is often used in passive constructions such as, "The album is comprised of ten classic songs.") Until relatively recently, this less-favored 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.