What does "incorporate" mean?
To include (something) as a part.
Incorporate
/ɪŋˈkɔː.pə.ɹeɪt/ adj, verb
adj, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To include (something) as a part.
- Grammar: incorporate is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: integrate, absorb, absorbed, accessioning.
- Useful contrasts: corporate, corporeal, unincorporate.
- Usage evidence: From a translation I demand that it combine fidelity with sonority, and that it incorporate the genius of the language that it is written in, and not that of the original language. A good translator, therefore, needs to be intimately acquainted with the philology of a language pair.
How to use "incorporate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "incorporate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "incorporate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "incorporate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "incorporate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "incorporate" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "integrate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "incorporate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To include (something) as a part. transitive
"The design of his house incorporates a spiral staircase."
- 2 make into a whole or make part of a whole wordnet
- 3 To mix (something in) as an ingredient; to blend transitive
"Incorporate air into the mixture by whisking."
- 4 unite or merge with something already in existence wordnet
- 5 To admit as a member of a company transitive
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 form a corporation wordnet
- 7 To form into a legal company. transitive
"The company was incorporated in 1980."
- 8 include or contain; have as a component wordnet
- 9 To include (another clause or guarantee of the US constitution) as a part (of the Fourteenth Amendment, such that the clause binds not only the federal government but also state governments). US
- 10 To form into a body; to combine, as different ingredients, into one consistent mass.
"By your leaves, you shall not stay alone, / Till holy church incorporate two in one."
- 11 To unite with a material body; to give a material form to; to embody.
"do not deny , that there was such an Opinion among the Heathens , that Spirits might possess Images , and be incorporated with them"
Adjective
- 1 Corporate; incorporated; made one body, or united in one body; associated; mixed together; combined; embodied. obsolete
"As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds / Had been incorporate."
- 2 Not consisting of matter; not having a material body; incorporeal; spiritual. not-comparable
"Moses forbore to speak of angels, and of things invisible, and incorporate."
- 3 Not incorporated; not existing as a corporation. not-comparable
"an incorporate banking association"
Adjective
- 1 formed or united into a whole wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"From a translation I demand that it combine fidelity with sonority, and that it incorporate the genius of the language that it is written in, and not that of the original language. A good translator, therefore, needs to be intimately acquainted with the philology of a language pair."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "incorporate"?
Common synonyms include: integrate, absorb, absorbed, accessioning, add, add in.
How do you use "incorporate" in a sentence?
From a translation I demand that it combine fidelity with sonority, and that it incorporate the genius of the language that it is written in, and not that of the original language. A good translator, therefore, needs to be intimately acquainted with the philology of a language pair.
How do you pronounce "incorporate"?
Pronounced /ɪŋˈkɔː.pə.ɹeɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English, from Late Latin incorporātus, perfect passive participle of incorporō (“to embody, to incorporate”), from in- (“in”) + corpus, corporis (“body”).
Etymology 2
From in- (“not”) + corporate.