comprise

verb

com·​prise kəm-ˈprīz 

comprised; comprising

transitive verb

1

: to be made up of

The play comprises three acts.

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

—Jane Jacobs

2

: to make up or form : compose, constitute

Nine players comprise a baseball team.

… a misconception as to what comprises a literary generation.

—William Styron

The Board is comprised of teachers, parents, community members, and representatives from local businesses.

—Thomas Gase

Note: Despite strong and continued objections to it, this meaning of comprise is now more frequent in general use than its earlier meaning. It is particularly common in the construction "to be comprised of," as in "The debate team is comprised of five members."

3

: to include especially within a particular scope

I was a long time in finding out what this secretary's duties comprised.

—Herman Melville

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.

Synonyms of comprise

• contain
• include

Examples of comprise in a Sentence

Each army division comprised 4,500 troops.

The play comprises three acts.

Recent Examples on the Web

The priciest six hours a year — when transmission lines are clogged as Hoosiers race to warm up on chilly mornings or cool off on hot summer evenings — comprise almost a third of the cooperative’s total costs. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 4 Nov. 2025

Fox Entertainment comprises the Fox Television Network, Fox Entertainment Studios and Fox Entertainment Global, its worldwide content sales and licensing unit. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025

Japan hit another immigration milestone this year, with foreign residents in 27 municipalities now comprising over 10 percent of the local population, according to new government statistics. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025

Chan Marshall recorded the new EP with Dirty Delta Blues, the group comprising guitarist Judah Bauer, keyboardist Gregg Foreman, bassist Erik Paparozzi, and drummer Jim White (of Dirty Three). —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French compris, past participle of comprendre, from Latin comprehendere — see comprehend

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for comprise

• advise
• applies
• apprise
• arise
• assize
• baptize
• belies
• bitwise
• capsize
• chastise
• chordwise
• clockwise

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Kids Definition

comprise

verb

com·​prise kəm-ˈprīz 

comprised; comprising

1

: include, contain

the test comprised two essay questions

2

: to be made up of

the play comprises three acts

3

: compose sense 1b, constitute

nine players comprise a baseball team