- involve - to have someone/something as part of a process or purposeful act. (implies an active role)
- contain - to hold or include something as a fully enclosed or controlled entity. (physical relationship)
- include - to have something/someone loosely as a part or member. (most general - may be physical or conceptual)
- comprise - to include something as a constituent and often integral part. (the parts and the whole are not separable)
Examples:
- This project involves many people from other departments. (they play a role)
- This glass contains water. (wholly enclosed volume-wise)
- The package includes the computer, program, disks, and a manual. (they loosely make up the package)
- The Soviet Union comprised several socialist republics. (the republics were themselves the Soviet Union)