What does included mean?
Included describes something that has been brought into a group, total, package, price, or arrangement. It is especially common when a person wants to clarify what a cost or offer includes: “The admission fee is included,” or “Breakfast and parking are included.” In such contexts, the word is usually followed by a preposition such as “in,” “with,” or “within,” although the preposition can be omitted when the relationship is already clear. It can also mean that people or items have been included in an activity or category. As the past participle of include, it appears in passive constructions and adjectival phrases. The word is informal and formal in register alike, and its frequency in prices, travel packages, specifications, and invitations reflects the practical need to distinguish what is provided from what must be purchased or arranged separately.
adjectiveIncluded means present within a group, collection, price, or other specified total. It can also mean supplied or provided as part of a set, arrangement, or service.
- Present as part of a group, collection, price, or specified total.
- Supplied or provided as part of a set, arrangement, or service.
- Including a person or group within an activity, arrangement, or category.
"The tour price includes breakfast, but drinks are not included."
"All necessary tools are included in the starter kit."
"Children are included in the workshop, although the fee is waived for them."
When something is included, the total has quietly swallowed it into the package—and sometimes the price.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does included come from?
The word included is the past participle of include, derived from Latin includere, meaning “to close in” or “enclose.” Latin includere combined in- (“in” or “into”) with claudere (“close” or “shut”). English borrowed include in the 16th century, and included developed as its ordinary past-participle and adjectival form. The same Latin root also underlies inclusion and inclusive, as well as many words ending in -clude.
Related word forms
How included is actually used
Included is widely used in British, American, Australian, and other varieties of English. It often appears after a noun or pronoun, as in “the fee is included,” but can also precede a list, as in “included: lunch, refreshments, and a certificate.”
Easily confused with included
Include is the base verb meaning to bring something into a group or scope, while included is its past-participle and adjectival form.
Inclusive describes a total or arrangement that encompasses all the stated items or people, while included identifies something actually present in that total or arrangement.