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"
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"
To be made up of; to consist of (especially a comprehensive list of parts).
"The committee comprises twelve members who represent different regions."
In plain English: To comprise means to be made up of all the parts that form something as a whole group.
"The committee comprises five members from different departments."
Usage: Use comprise when the whole consists entirely of its listed parts, such as saying "The committee comprises five members." Avoid confusing it with compose by ensuring the subject is always the complete entity containing all elements.
Comprise comes from the Old French word comprendre, which originally meant "to grasp with one's hands." This sense of physically holding or containing something eventually evolved into its modern meaning in English as a way to describe including parts within a whole.