contain
Americanverb (used with object)
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to hold or include within its volume or area.
This glass contains water.
This paddock contains our best horses.
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to be capable of holding; have capacity for.
The room will contain 75 persons safely.
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to have as contents or constituent parts; comprise; include.
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to keep under proper control; restrain.
He could not contain his amusement.
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to prevent or limit the expansion, influence, success, or advance of (a hostile nation, competitor, opposing force, natural disaster, etc.).
to contain an epidemic.
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to succeed in preventing the spread of.
efforts to contain water pollution.
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Mathematics. (of a number) to be a multiple of; be divisible by, without a remainder.
Ten contains five.
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to be equal to.
A quart contains two pints.
verb
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to hold or be capable of holding or including within a fixed limit or area
this contains five pints
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to keep (one's feelings, behaviour, etc) within bounds; restrain
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to consist of; comprise
the book contains three different sections
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military to prevent (enemy forces) from operating beyond a certain level or area
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maths
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to be a multiple of, leaving no remainder
6 contains 2 and 3
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to have as a subset
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Synonym Usage
Contain, accommodate, hold, express the idea that something is so designed that something else can exist or be placed within it. Contain refers to what is actually within a given container. Hold emphasizes the idea of keeping within bounds; it refers also to the greatest amount or number that can be kept within a given container. Accommodate means to contain comfortably or conveniently, or to meet the needs of a certain number. A passenger plane that accommodates 50 passengers may be able to hold 60, but at a given time may contain only 30.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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containsimple
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containssimple
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have containedperfect
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has containedperfect
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am containingprogressive
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are containingprogressive
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is containingprogressive
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have been containingperfect progressive
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has been containingperfect progressive
Past
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containedsimple
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had containedperfect
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was containingprogressive
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were containingprogressive
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had been containingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contain
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English conte(y)nen, from Anglo-French contener, Old French contenir, from Latin continēre, equivalent to con- con- + -tinēre, verb suffix of tenēre “to hold” ( see tenet)
Explanation
The verb contain has many shades of meaning but it often describes something that's held back or held in by something. Kids on the last day of school may find it hard to contain their glee when summer officially starts. Picture Times Square on New Year's Eve. People can barely contain — or hold back — their excitement at being there. They clutch cups that contain — or hold — hot drinks that help them stay warm. The police set up barriers to contain — or restrain — the crowd to keep everyone under control. The next morning, the heaps of trash on the street will contain — or include — streamers, party hats, and cups.
Vocabulary lists containing contain
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 4
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade 11)
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Most trusts contain terms about how to effect an amendment to the trust,” according to McLane Middleton, a law firm with offices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
The lack of firefighting capacity has left France trying to find alternative aircraft to help contain the blazes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
"We have robust processes in place to protect information and took swift action to contain this incident", a DfE spokesperson said.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The same mechanism could help explain why hydrothermal sulfide deposits along submarine island arcs often contain unusually large amounts of gold.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
Assuming this represented a single layer of atoms, Halley calculated that a cube of gold with a side one-hundredth of an inch long would contain more than 2.433 million atoms.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol and Antoine Semenyo provide the experience to a group of players that contains a number from the elite development squad and with opportunities up for grabs.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Spoiler alert: This post contains details from the new film “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Giant hogweed contains a sap which can leave painful blistering and scarring when it comes into contact with human skin.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Fortunately, the reported deal contains an escape clause.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“Fidencio says that it contains clothing for you. It is from his grandson, Lucio.”
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
And if the dredged mud isn't contained properly, it spills into nearby waters.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Recent inflation data and contained inflation expectations give policymakers scope to wait for greater clarity before acting, the chief global strategist said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
However, scientists had never conclusively demonstrated that the pigments contained no carbon at all.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The fire was 33 acres and 5% contained as of Tuesday morning, Castillo said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The door worked to keep him contained only half the time, but hopefully he would forget about the sukkah and eat something else.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Unlike some countries, the United States does not require warning labels on foods containing high levels of sugar, sodium or calories.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
The report also found that households containing one or more retired adults was the HCI with the highest overall increase, at 5.2%.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Heat also fuels toxic algae blooms containing domoic acid, which contaminate the anchovy and sardine populations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
So I went ahead and swapped my normal creams containing high amounts of glycerin, aloe and other plant-based ingredients for tallow-based alternatives for a two-week period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Soon every student found a message slid under his door, containing an appeal from Harvard’s president, Abbott Lowell, for men to volunteer to help ease the crisis brought about by the police strike.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
