comprise
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comprise
com·prise
(kəm-prīz′)comprise
(kəmˈpraɪz)com•prise
(kəmˈpraɪz)v.t. -prised, -pris•ing.
comprise
You say that something comprises particular things when you are mentioning all its parts.
You can also say that something is composed of or consists of particular things. There is no difference in meaning.
Be Careful!
Don't use a passive form of consist of. Don't say, for example, 'The committee is consisted of scientists and engineers'.
Constitute works in the opposite way to the verbs just mentioned. If a number of things or people constitute something, they are the parts or members that form it.
Make up can be used in either an active or passive form. In its active form, it has the same meaning as constitute.
In its passive form, it is followed by of and has the same meaning as be composed of.
Be Careful!
Don't use a progressive form of any of these verbs. Don't say, for example, 'The committee is consisting of scientists and engineers'.
comprise
Past participle: comprised
Gerund: comprising
Imperative |
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comprise |
comprise |
Verb | 1. | comprise - be composed of; "The land he conquered comprised several provinces"; "What does this dish consist of?" be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" |
2. | comprise - include or contain; have as a component; "A totally new idea is comprised in this paper"; "The record contains many old songs from the 1930's" include - have as a part, be made up out of; "The list includes the names of many famous writers" | |
3. | comprise - form or compose; "This money is my only income"; "The stone wall was the backdrop for the performance"; "These constitute my entire belonging"; "The children made up the chorus"; "This sum represents my entire income for a year"; "These few men comprise his entire army" make - constitute the essence of; "Clothes make the man" compose - form the substance of; "Greed and ambition composed his personality" form, constitute, make - to compose or represent:"This wall forms the background of the stage setting"; "The branches made a roof"; "This makes a fine introduction" straddle, range - range or extend over; occupy a certain area; "The plants straddle the entire state" fall into, fall under - be included in or classified as; "This falls under the rubric 'various'" supplement - serve as a supplement to; "Vitamins supplemented his meager diet" |