contain

[ kuhn-teyn ]
/ kənˈteɪn /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR contain ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

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Origin of contain

1250–1300; Middle English conte(y)nen < Anglo-French contener, Old French contenir < Latin continēre, equivalent to con- con- + tenēre to hold (see tenet)

synonym study for contain

1. 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 WORDS FROM contain

con·tain·a·ble, adjectivepre·con·tain, verb (used with object)un·con·tain·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby contain

contagious disease, contagious granular conjunctivitis, contagious magic, contagious stomatitis, contagium, contain, contained, container, container car, container garden, containerboard
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to contain

incorporate, accommodate, involve, enclose, have, encompass, stop, collect, curb, cool, seat, subsume, embrace, embody, comprehend, hold, comprise, hog-tie, compose, smother

Example sentences from the Web for contain

British Dictionary definitions for contain

contain
/ (kənˈteɪn) /

verb (tr)

to hold or be capable of holding or including within a fixed limit or areathis contains five pints
to keep (one's feelings, behaviour, etc) within bounds; restrain
to consist of; comprisethe book contains three different sections
military to prevent (enemy forces) from operating beyond a certain level or area
maths
  1. to be a multiple of, leaving no remainder6 contains 2 and 3
  2. to have as a subset

Derived forms of contain

containable, adjective

Word Origin for contain

C13: from Old French contenir, from Latin continēre, from com- together + tenēre to hold
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012