Meanings
present singular third person comprises · participle present comprising · participle past comprised · past comprised · alternative rare comprize
- transitiveTo be made up of; to consist of (especially a comprehensive list of parts).First known use the earlier 15th c.
The whole comprises the parts.
4 more examples
Near-synonyms: subsume, contain, include, embrace, comprehend
The parts are comprised by the whole.
Our committee comprises a president, secretary, treasurer and five other members.
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 SportSynonyms: subsume, contain, include, embrace, comprehend
- passiveproscribedsometimesusuallyTo compose; to constitute.First known use the 17th c.
Near-synonym: make up
5 more examples
The whole is comprised of the parts.
The parts comprise the whole.
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."
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[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 - intellectual propertyTo include, contain, or be made up of, defining the minimum elements, whether essential or inessential to define an invention.
(close-ended)
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo be made up of; to consist of (especially a comprehensive list of parts).
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincomprehendere
- Old Frenchcompris
- Middle Englishcomprisen
- Englishcomprise
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.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian състоя се, обхващам
- състоя се (săstoja se)be made up of
- обхващам (obhvaštam)be made up of
- съдържам (sădăržam)be made up of
- състоя се (săstoja se)compose
- включвам (vključvam)include
- обхващам (obhvaštam)include
Czech skládat se, tvořit (celek)
- skládat sebe made up of
- tvořit (celek)compose
- obsahovatinclude
- zahrnovatinclude
Dutch bevatten, omvatten
- bevattenbe made up of
- omvattenbe made up of
- uitmakencompose
- vormencompose
- bevatteninclude
Esperanto ampleksi
- ampleksibe made up of
Finnish käsittää, sisältää
- käsittääbe made up of
- sisältääinclude
French contenir, comprendre
- contenirbe made up of
- comprendrebe made up of
- être composé decompose
- comprendreinclude
German bestehen aus, beinhalten
- bestehen ausbe made up of
- beinhalteninclude
Hebrew כלל, הכיל
- כלל (kalál)be made up of
- הכיל (hekhíl)include
Italian consistere, comprendere
- consisterebe made up of
- comprenderebe made up of
- comporrecompose
- comprendereinclude
- includereinclude
Latin teneo
- teneoinclude
Norwegian bestå av, omfatte
- bestå avbe made up of
- omfattebe made up of
Polish składać się, zawierać
- składać siębe made up of
- zawieraćinclude
Portuguese consistir, resumir
- consistirbe made up of
- resumirbe made up of
- compreenderbe made up of
- comporcompose
- conterinclude
Russian содержа́ть, включа́ть
- содержа́ть (soderžátʹ)compose
- включа́ть (vključátʹ)include
- содержа́ть (soderžátʹ)include
Spanish comprender, constar de
- comprenderbe made up of
- constar debe made up of
- consistir debe made up of
- comprehender (desus.)be made up of
- radicar enbe made up of
- consistir enbe made up of
Swedish bestå av, utgöras av
- bestå avcompose
- utgöras avcompose
Ukrainian складатися із, охоплювати
- складатися із (skladatysja iz)be made up of
- охоплювати (oxopljuvaty)be made up of
- містити (mistyty)include
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with comprise
Anagrams
Cite this entry
comprise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/comprise
“comprise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/comprise. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “comprise,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/comprise.
Source: comprise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.