The difference between Comprise and Contain

When used as verbs, comprise means to be made up of, whereas contain means to hold inside.

check bellow for the other definitions of Comprise and Contain

Comprise as a verb:

To be made up of; to consist of (especially a comprehensive list of parts).

Examples:

"The whole comprises the parts."

"The parts are comprised by the whole.<br>However, the passive voice of ''comprise'' must be employed carefully to make sense. Phrases such as "animals and cages are comprised by zoos" or "pitchers, catchers, and fielders are comprised by baseball teams" highlight the difficulty."
Comprise as a verb:

To contain or embrace.

Examples:

"Our committee comprises a president, secretary, treasurer and five other members."
Comprise as a verb (sometimes, proscribed, usually in the passive):

To compose, to constitute. See usage note below.

Examples:

"A team is comprised of its members."

"The members comprise the team."
Comprise as a verb (patent law):

To include, contain, or be made up of, defining the minimum elements, whether essential or inessential, to define an invention. ("Open-ended", doesn't limit to the items listed; cf. compose, which is "closed" and limits to the items listed.)

Contain as a verb (transitive):

To hold inside.
Contain as a verb (transitive):

To include as a part.
Contain as a verb (transitive):

To put constraint upon; to restrain; to confine; to keep within bounds.

Examples:

"I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself!"
Contain as a verb (mathematics, of a [[set]] etc., transitive):

To have as an element or subset.

Examples:

"A group contains a unique inverse for each of its elements."

"If that subgraph contains the vertex in question then it must be spanning."
Contain as a verb (obsolete, intransitive):

To restrain desire; to live in continence or chastity.