include
The price includes breakfast and dinner.
Breakfast and dinner are part of what you pay for.
to make something part of a whole or group
The tour includes a visit to the museum.
The museum is part of what the tour offers.
Does the package include shipping costs?
Are shipping costs part of the total price?
Used to indicate that something is part of a larger set or collection. Often followed by a noun or gerund (-ing form).
to contain something as part of a whole
The list includes five names.
Five names are part of the list.
The report includes data from 2020 to 2023.
Data from 2020 to 2023 is part of the report.
Emphasizes the presence of something within a larger context.
Collocations
Pro Tip
Avoid ambiguity with 'include'
Use 'include' to add something to a list or group, not to describe the entire composition. For example, say 'The team includes a designer' (there are others) rather than implying the team is only the designer.
Gold Rule
Subject-verb agreement
'Include' is a verb and must agree with its subject in number. For example, 'The list includes three items' (singular subject) vs. 'The lists include three items each' (plural subject).
Word Origin
From Latin *includere* (to shut in, enclose), from *in-* (in) + *claudere* (to shut). The sense of 'to make part of a whole' emerged in Middle English.
Usage Notes
Avoid using 'include' to mean 'consist of' or 'be composed of'—use 'comprise' or 'consist of' for that meaning. 'Include' suggests that the whole is larger than the parts mentioned.