contain
Americanverb (used with object)
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contains,
present (3rd person singular)
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contained,
past participle, past
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containing
present participle
-
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:
Meanwhile, Roy could scarcely contain her excitement as she laid out her plan to supporters chanting her name.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
There are strict legal limits on how much nickel jewellery can contain.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Specimens preserved many decades ago can contain biological evidence that researchers at the time had no way of recognizing.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
An indictment charging a false-statement offense would usually contain nothing more than an identification of the defendant, the date of the offense, the location where the offense occurred, and the specific false statement.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
Mrs. Bennet deigned not to make any reply; but, unable to contain herself, began scolding one of her daughters.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
The lower level contains an incredibly versatile room that’s currently used as a gym, but could also be well-suited to serve as a screening room, game room, or even an additional bedroom.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Warning: This article contains themes and images some readers may find upsetting.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Lee Him’s file contains the translation of coaching material that officials found Chin Sing carrying on a return trip from China in 1934 to help him memorize his back story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
But if a package contains two hats and 10 T-shirts, the fee will be four euros.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
Father Julien takes his overnight bag, which contains fresh underwear, socks, and shaving supplies.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The company will pay $7.35 billion over nine years to plaintiffs who have made personal injury claims related to firefighting foam that contained PFAS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
The exercise contained malware that deployed "sophisticated obfuscation and evasion techniques," Binance said, including replacing a legitimate development tool component with a malicious version.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
A former street dog who seemingly couldn’t be contained, Anchovy Jack could even leap over fences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Further information, including a recent download from Lucy's mobile phone, contained information which "we believe are relevant to the circumstances leading up to her death."
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
When his diving mask was removed, his face contained a look of sheer terror.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
A digitalised, searchable database containing names and records related to an estimated 50,000-60,000 former informants is set to become available on a dedicated website on Wednesday morning.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
The Los Angeles County Fire Department previously told The Times the fire began inside an auto-body shop and spread to an adjacent building containing several businesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Business-school professors Janet Gao of Georgetown, Jun Oh of Purdue and Joseph Pacelli of Harvard used AI to do a deep dive into an online database containing the résumés of 2.9 million American workers.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
To evaluate the technology, the researchers first conducted a laboratory experiment using a reservoir containing 5 liters of a nutrient solution with glucose.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
What Nhamo saw now was the sudden appearance of small red-and-blue packages containing magic roots or feathers.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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