comprise
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to be made up of several different things or people.
to be composed of or consist of specific parts or members. In strict formal usage, the whole comprises the parts.
Simple“The country comprises twenty different states, each with its own local government.”
In context“The final report comprises five distinct sections, ranging from the initial methodology to the long-term policy recommendations.”
UsageThe verb is transitive and takes a direct object without the preposition 'of'.
Teacher's tipLearners often confuse 'comprise' with 'compose'. A helpful rule: the whole comprises the parts, but the parts compose the whole.
PitfallThe team is comprised of ten players. The team comprises ten players.In traditional formal writing, 'comprise' is used in the active voice without 'of'. While 'is comprised of' is common in speech, many writers prefer 'is composed of' or simply 'comprises'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to be the parts that form a larger group or thing.
to constitute or make up a whole. This sense is often considered less formal than the 'consist of' sense.
Simple“Older people comprise a large part of the local population.”
In context“Minority groups comprise nearly forty percent of the student body, reflecting the diverse nature of the surrounding urban community.”
UsageIn this sense, the parts are the subject and the whole is the object.
Teacher's tipWhile common in modern English, some strict grammarians still prefer 'constitute' for this meaning.
Synonyms
comprise vs compose — Comprise describes the whole containing the parts, while compose describes the parts forming the whole.
Usage comprise group · comprise item · comprise number
“It comprised 500 text samples from media, religion, fiction, science and other sources, each containing approximately 2,000 words.”
“Novelist Andrew O’Hagan’s new book comprises eight brief essays reworked from a series recorded last year for Radio 4.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.