contain

American  

[kuhn-teyn] / kənˈteɪn /

verb (used with object)

• contains,
  present (3rd person singular)
• contained,
  past participle,  past
• containing
  present participle

1. to hold or include within its volume or area.

   This glass contains water.

   This paddock contains our best horses.

2. to be capable of holding; have capacity for.

   The room will contain 75 persons safely.

3. to have as contents or constituent parts; comprise; include.

   Synonyms:

   embrace, embody

4. to keep under proper control; restrain.

   He could not contain his amusement.

5. to prevent or limit the expansion, influence, success, or advance of (a hostile nation, competitor, opposing force, natural disaster, etc.).

   to contain an epidemic.

6. to succeed in preventing the spread of.

   efforts to contain water pollution.

7. Mathematics. (of a number) to be a multiple of; be divisible by, without a remainder.

   Ten contains five.

8. to be equal to.

   A quart contains two pints.

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contain British  

/ kənˈteɪn /

verb

1. to hold or be capable of holding or including within a fixed limit or area

   this contains five pints

2. to keep (one's feelings, behaviour, etc) within bounds; restrain

3. to consist of; comprise

   the book contains three different sections

4. military to prevent (enemy forces) from operating beyond a certain level or area

5. maths

   1. to be a multiple of, leaving no remainder

      6 contains 2 and 3

   2. 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

• precontain
  verb (used with object)
• containable
  adjective
• uncontainable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• containing
  present
• contained
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• contain
  simple
• contains
  simple
• have contained
  perfect
• has contained
  perfect
• am containing
  progressive
• are containing
  progressive
• is containing
  progressive
• have been containing
  perfect progressive
• has been containing
  perfect progressive

Past

• contained
  simple
• had contained
  perfect
• was containing
  progressive
• were containing
  progressive
• had been containing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will contain
  simple
• will have contained
  perfect
• will be containing
  progressive
• will have been containing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contain contains contained containing

The company discovered in July that rogue AI agents had schemed in secret to break out of the virtual sandbox created to contain them, infiltrating the open internet and hacking a private company.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Among the museum's Naga collection - which contains several thousand items - are 219 items are listed as human remains, 39 ancestral human remains and 178 objects that are thought to contain human hair.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Standing in front of rows of what look like giant filing cabinets that contain Alps, he told AFP he was excited to have all of NASA's climate data plugged directly into the machine.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

The Treasury Department said it would buy back $6 billion in U.S. government debt, exceeding the amount previously announced in its effort to contain bond yields.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

The Incorrigibles, who had behaved in an exemplary fashion all this time, could contain themselves no more.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

The company should have a guidebook that contains a list of workplace situations in which there might be a need, or temptation, to use AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The other is chemical damage, especially when the water contains substances such as acids or salts.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

Oroco hopes that its Mexican asset, which contains around a billion tons of copper ore and is forecast to have an operational life of twenty years, will commence production in 2032.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

As an added treat, the third and topmost floor of shelving contains a variety of art books donated by actor and avid art collector Steve Martin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

“No, I cannot stay; I have only brought you a little parcel my sisters left for you. I think it contains a colour-box, pencils, and paper.”

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

That means a better return for investors willing to park their money long term -- as long as inflation remains contained.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

It also contained various other relics – including metal weapons – belonging to the pre-Incan Chimu civilisation, a culture that flourished on the northern coast of Peru between 900 and 1470 AD.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Earlier research found that Facebook contained records for 167 of 169 threatened butterfly species in Bangladesh.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

Behind it was the vault that once contained almost 2,000 objects of 24-carat gold, gem-ornamented Nabatean funerary figures and ancient jewelry from the Kingdom of Kush.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Second, they also contained a concealed device that set a hair-trigger.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Two months ago, epidemiological information collected by the CDC found that thousands of people had become ill after eating Taco Bell meals containing shredded iceberg lettuce between June 22 and July 20.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

Tsudik says ambiguous squares, such as those containing just a sliver of a bicycle or traffic light, are judged in part by how other people have labeled the same image.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

An Apple spokesperson said it launched its Communication Safety feature in 2021 to help stop children from seeing or sharing imagery containing nudity - and had since "continued to expand its capabilities".

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

We drove past an undeveloped beach—no facilities, just a handful of people taking a dip—and up to a viewpoint where there was a military outpost containing one soldier and his dog.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

Without the suit, bits of dust containing radioactive isotopes could cling to clothes and hair, and might be inhaled or swallowed.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Related Words

• accommodate
• consist of
• enclose
• encompass
• have
• incorporate
• involve