Comprise

/kəmˈpraɪz/

Meaning & Definition

verb

to consist of; to be made up of.

The committee comprises five members from different departments.

to include or contain; to have as a part or element.

The United States comprises 50 states.

to form or constitute; to amount to.

Women comprise a significant portion of the workforce.

to make up; to compose.

The book comprises several essays on environmental issues.

From Old French 'comprendre', from Latin 'comprehendere', meaning 'to seize'.

comprise of

often used incorrectly to mean 'to consist of'; the correct usage is 'comprise' without 'of'.

to be comprised of

used to indicate what something is made up of, though seen as less formal than 'comprise'.

compose

to form something by putting parts together.

constitute

to make up or form something.