comprise

/kəmˈpraɪz/

/kəmˈpraɪz/

Other forms: comprised; comprising; comprises

When something comprises other things, it is made up of them or formed from them. The periodic table comprises 118 elements, because the whole comprises the parts.

In its traditional use, the word comprise is the opposite of compose: if A comprises X, Y, and Z, then X, Y, and Z compose A. But because compose and comprise sound so much alike, people have long confused the two. So now you often hear things like "The band is comprised of a guitarist, a bassist, and a hairy drummer," whereas sticklers would prefer "is composed of" in that sentence. The word is undergoing a usage shift, making it just as hairy as that drummer!

Definitions of comprise

1. verb

   be composed of
   “The land he conquered comprised several provinces”

   synonyms: consist

   type of:

   be

   have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
2. verb

   include or contain; have as a component
   “A totally new idea is comprised in this paper”

   synonyms: contain, incorporate

   type of:

   include

   have as a part; be made up out of
3. verb

   form or compose
   “These few men comprise his entire army”

   synonyms: be, constitute, make up, represent

   types:

   make

   constitute the essence of

   compose

   form the substance of

   constitute, form, make

   compose or represent

   range, straddle

   range or extend over; occupy a certain area

   fall into, fall under

   be included in or classified as

   pose, present

   introduce

   supplement

   serve as a supplement to

   chelate

   form a chelate, in chemistry

   spread-eagle

   stretch over

   add

   constitute an addition