Dictionary

comprise en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /kəmˈpɹaɪz/

Etymology

From Middle English comprisen, from Old French compris, past participle of comprendre, from Latin comprehendere, contr. comprendere, past participle comprehensus (“to comprehend”); see comprehend. Compare apprise, reprise, surprise.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To be made up of; to consist of (especially a comprehensive list of parts).
   • Arsenal were playing without a recognised full-back - their defence comprising four centre-halves - and the lack of width was hindering their progress. 2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1-0 Everton”, in BBC Sport:
   • Our committee comprises a president, secretary, treasurer and five other members.
   • The whole comprises the parts.
   • Near-synonyms: subsume, contain, include, embrace, comprehend
   • The parts are comprised by the whole.
2. (passive, proscribed, sometimes, usually) To compose; to constitute.
   • Three chairs of the steamer type, all maimed, comprised the furniture of this roof-garden, with (by way of local color) on one of the copings a row of four red clay flower-pots filled with sun-baked dust from which gnarled and rusty stalks thrust themselves up like withered elfin limbs. 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter I (Anarchy), pages 377–378:
   • The whole is comprised of the parts.
   • [in 1846 or 1847, Davis K. Carter said,] ["]I have come to deal in practical matters, and to serve notice on you, gentlemen, that we out west, comprising the backbone, not only of Ohio but of the western continent, mean business. A road is to be built from this city [Pittsburgh], through Massillon to Chicago, and in its construction you must either fish or cut bait; now take your choice.["] The Pennsylvania and Ohio railroad was finally begun through the activities of business men from Pennsylvania and Ohio, who attended a great meeting held at Massillon in November, 1847. It was completed as far as Massillon, in 1853. 1926 [1847], Bessie V. R. Skinner, quoting Davis K. Carter, Massillon, Once Upon a Time, Independent Publishing Company, page 27:
   • The parts comprise the whole.
   • Near-synonym: make up
   • 1657, Isaac Barrow, Data (Euclid) (translation), Prop. XXX "Seeing then the angles comprised of equal right lines are equal, we have found the angle FDE equal to the angle ABC."
3. To include, contain, or be made up of, defining the minimum elements, whether essential or inessential to define an invention.
   • (close-ended)

Forms

Coordinates

integrate · unify · compose

Deriveds

comprisal · comprisable

Relateds

comprehensive

Synonyms

make up · comprehend · make up · contain · subsume · form (to compose) · embrace · include

Translations (57)

sl sestati iz (be made up of) · es comprender (be made up of) · fr comprendre (include) · it comprendere (be made up of) · pl składać się (be made up of) · pt compreender (be made up of) · it comprendere (include) · bg състоя се (compose) · ru содержа́ть (include) · cs obsahovat (include) · fi käsittää (be made up of) · bg включвам (include) · de beinhalten (include) · uk містити (include) · pt conter (include) · sv utgöras av (compose) · uk складатися із (be made up of) · nl bevatten (include) · pt compor (compose) · es consistir de (be made up of) · nl uitmaken (compose) · sl obsegati (be made up of) · bg обхващам (include) · es comprehender (desus.) (be made up of) · bg обхващам (be made up of) · it consistere (be made up of) · uk охоплювати (be made up of) · he הכיל (include) · es radicar en (be made up of) · pt resumir (be made up of) · it includere (include) · ru включа́ть (include) · pl zawierać (include) · es consistir en (be made up of) · cs tvořit (celek) (compose) · bg съдържам (be made up of) · fr être composé de (compose) · cs skládat se (be made up of) · de bestehen aus (be made up of) · nl omvatten (be made up of) · cs zahrnovat (include) · fi sisältää (include) · no omfatte (be made up of) · la teneo (include) · ru содержа́ть (compose) · fr contenir (be made up of) · sv bestå av (compose) · no bestå av (be made up of) · nl vormen (compose) · it comporre (compose) · es constar de (be made up of) · bg състоя се (be made up of) · nl bevatten (be made up of) · he כלל (be made up of) · pt consistir (be made up of) · fr comprendre (be made up of) · eo ampleksi (be made up of)