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incorporate

verb
in·​cor·​po·​rate | \ in-ˈkȯr-pə-ˌrāt How to pronounce incorporate (audio) \
incorporated; incorporating

Definition of incorporate

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to unite or work into something already existent so as to form an indistinguishable whole
b : to blend or combine thoroughly
2a : to form into a legal corporation
b : to admit to membership in a corporate body
3 : to give material form to : embody

intransitive verb

1 : to unite in or as one body
2 : to form or become a corporation

incorporate

adjective
in·​cor·​po·​rate | \ in-ˈkȯr-p(ə-)rət How to pronounce incorporate (audio) \

Definition of incorporate (Entry 2 of 2)

: incorporated
Other Words from incorporate Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about incorporate

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Other Words from incorporate

Verb

incorporable \ in-​ˈkȯr-​p(ə-​)rə-​bəl How to pronounce incorporable (audio) \ adjective
incorporation \ in-​ˌkȯr-​pə-​ˈrā-​shən How to pronounce incorporation (audio) \ noun
incorporative \ in-​ˈkȯr-​pə-​ˌrā-​tiv How to pronounce incorporative (audio) , -​p(ə-​)rə-​tiv \ adjective
incorporator \ in-​ˈkȯr-​pə-​ˌrā-​tər How to pronounce incorporator (audio) \ noun

Synonyms for incorporate

Synonyms: Verb

absorb, assimilate, co-opt, embody, integrate

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Did You Know?

From its roots, incorporate means basically "add into a body" or "form into a body". So, for example, a chef might decide to incorporate a couple of new ingredients into an old recipe, and then might incorporate that new item into the restaurant's dinner menu. The restaurant itself was probably incorporated at the beginning, and so is now a corporation—that is, a "body" that's legally allowed to act like a single person in certain ways, even if it may have many individual employees. As you can see, the two meanings turn out to be fairly different.

Examples of incorporate in a Sentence

Verb

 This design incorporates the best features of our earlier models. a diet that incorporates many different fruits and vegetables The company was incorporated in 1981. The company incorporated in 1981.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 There are eight Central Florida coasters that have animated or film characters incorporated into their names. — Dewayne Bevil, orlandosentinel.com, "Roller Coaster Day: Our quiz about Orlando’s wild rides," 16 Aug. 2019 Cardona's music tends to put a modern spin on '90s R&B, incorporating echoes of the soulful side of trap. — Ed Masley, azcentral, "12 local bands you need to know in metro Phoenix," 16 Aug. 2019 Today’s analysis comes from the second race at Del Mar and incorporates some handicapping angles into the mix. — Los Angeles Times, "Racing! Looking at next year’s Kentucky Derby preps," 24 Aug. 2019 The score includes 13 original mash-ups, incorporating parts of 70 different pop tracks. — Mary J. Dimeglio, Billboard, "'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' Mashes Up Beyonce, Madonna & More for 'The Sparkling Diamond': Listen," 23 Aug. 2019 Pork belly in the meatballs, which sometimes incorporate rabbit kidney, lends juice to the first course. — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, "Two choice lunch spots to save you from eating at your desk," 23 Aug. 2019 But incorporated into it is invisible ink that under black light reveals a security camera, a spaceship, and also the Night King from Game of Thrones. — Selena Barrientos, House Beautiful, "You Need a Black Light to See the Details in This Wild, Invisible Ink Wallpaper," 23 Aug. 2019 Trifodi is considering incorporating the bottle into a live or silent auction at the organization's big fundraiser, Taste of Hope, on Thursday, Sept. 12. — Marc Bona, cleveland.com, "Special Buffalo Trace bourbon earmarked for 19 NE Ohio charities," 22 Aug. 2019 The defensive coordinator began to venture outside his hallmark Cover 3 zone scheme last season, incorporating more tactical variety on third down. — Andy Benoit, SI.com, "With or Without Melvin Gordon, the Chargers' Offense Will Continue to Roll," 21 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

 Since 2013, Black Bottle Brewery in Colorado has made beer using Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms and Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch, though none of those incorporate food waste. — David Yaffe-bellany, New York Times, "Drink a Pint, Waste Less Food," 3 July 2019 Gibson’s works, which take inspiration from his Choctaw and Cherokee heritage as well as modernism and popular culture, incorporate materials such as rawhide, tipi poles, sterling silver, wool blankets, metal cones, beads, fringe and sinew. — John Wenzel, The Know, "Denver Art Museum to host first major exhibition from American Indian artist Jeffrey Gibson," 16 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incorporate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of incorporate

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for incorporate

Verb

Middle English, from Late Latin incorporatus, past participle of incorporare, from Latin in- + corpor-, corpus body — more at midriff

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More Definitions for incorporate

incorporation

noun

Financial Definition of incorporation

What It Is

Incorporation means to form a corporation. A corporation is a legal form of business organization. It is sometimes referred to as a "C Corp" in reference to a section of the IRS code governing corporate taxes.

How It Works

Corporations have several distinguishing characteristics.

1. A corporation is owned by shareholders, and their ownership is represented by shares of stock.
2. A corporation has a board of directors, which is a group of people elected by the shareholders to oversee the corporation's managers and represent the best interests of the shareholders.
3. They have unlimited lives; that is, corporations don't "die" or "expire" unless they do so intentionally or go bankrupt and liquidate their assets.
4. The shareholders have limited liability. That is, the liabilities of the corporation do not extend to the shareholders. If the corporation goes bankrupt or defaults on a loan, the corporation's creditors almost always cannot repossess the shareholders' personal assets or seek repayment from the shareholders themselves.
5. Corporations pay income taxes on their taxable income, even if they distribute some of that income directly to the shareholders.
6. Corporations are legal entities that exist separate and apart from their shareholders. In fact, they are usually afforded the legal rights of people. That is, they can own assets, borrow money and sue or be sued.

Why It Matters

To incorporate means to form one of the dominant business structures in the United States, and this is often because the largest advantage to incorporating is the limited liability the structure brings to the company's owners. Incorporation's limited liability encourages investment and in turn makes it easier to raise equity capital, among other things. However, incorporating a business means agreeing to more governance and regulation than other business forms, and this makes them more expensive to operate.

One of the biggest complaints about incorporating is the double taxation of profits it brings: the corporation must pay

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