include
- 01 A1 Beginner
v.to put someone or something into a group, list, or total.
v.to incorporate an entity into a larger group, class, or collection as a constituent part.
Simple“Please include your phone number on the application form.”
In context“The organisers decided to include several local artists in the exhibition to ensure the community felt represented.”
UsageThis is a transitive verb that takes a direct object.
PitfallThe price includes for the tax. The price includes the tax.The verb 'include' is transitive and takes a direct object without the preposition 'for'.
Synonyms - 02 A2 Elementary
v.to have something as one of its parts or members.
v.to contain or comprise as part of a whole; to have as a component.
Simple“The breakfast menu includes coffee, tea, and fresh fruit.”
In context“The comprehensive insurance policy includes coverage for accidental damage but excludes intentional acts of negligence.”
UsageOften used in the present simple to describe the contents of a set or package.
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to use a special command that brings code from another file into your program.
v.to use a preprocessor directive or command that imports the contents of an external file into the current source file.
Simple“You need to include the header file at the top of your code.”
In context“The developer failed to include the necessary library, resulting in a compilation error when the compiler reached the undefined functions.”
UsageCommonly used as a keyword in languages like C, C++, and PHP.
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.a file or piece of code that is added to another file.
n.a file or resource that is intended to be incorporated into another document or program via a directive.
Simple“Check the includes folder to find the database settings.”
In context“The project structure separates the main logic from the various includes to make the codebase easier to maintain.”
include vs contain — Include lists one or more parts of a larger group; contain describes what is physically or conceptually held inside a boundary.
Usage including ads · including one · including new
From Middle English includen, borrowed from Latin inclūdere (“to shut in, enclose, insert”), from in- (“in”) + claudere (“to shut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂w- (“key, hook, nail”). Doublet of enclose. Displaced native Old English belūcan (“to include,” also “to shut in”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.