1 Comprise primarily means 'consist of', as in the country comprises twenty states. It can also mean 'constitute or make up a whole', as in this single breed comprises 50 per cent of the Swiss cattle population. When this sense is used in the passive （as in the country is comprised of twenty states）, it is more or less synonymous with the first sense （the country comprises twenty states）. This usage is part of standard English, but the construction comprise of, as in the property comprises of bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, is regarded as incorrect. 2 On the differences between comprise and include, see usage at INCLUDE.