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 Of that sum, album sales comprise 87,000, SEA units comprise 3,000 (equaling 4.68 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. —

Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 26 Nov. 2023 On Saturday, November 11, the 2023 Concours at Wynn Las Vegas comprised both an exhibition—including hypercars, alternative-fuel examples, concept cars, and vehicles with cultural relevance—and a contest of show cars judged across 13 classes. —

Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2023 The new board comprises former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor; Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury and president of Harvard University; and Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo. —

Todd Spangler, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023 The Irish building-materials supplier said the assets comprise a cement plant, a network of terminals located on the Gulf of Mexico, as well as a portfolio of 20 ready-mixed concrete plants. —

Anthony O. Goriainoff, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023 The panel considering Trump's request comprises Judges Patricia Millett and Cornelia Pillard — both Obama appointees — and Bradley Garcia, a Biden appointee. —

Robert Legare, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2023 Those three groups comprised 92% of all youth cancer deaths in 2021, the report noted. —

Katie Mogg, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023 The best swimmers from East Jerusalem competed for a team comprising Palestinians at meets in the Arab world. —

Miriam Jordan Afif Amireh, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023 Altogether, the loft-like home comprises three bedrooms and three bathrooms, along with a 1,450-square-foot landscaped terrace off the primary suite. —

Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 15 Nov. 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.