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
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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:
The chancellor is reportedly due to meet senior party figures in Berlin on Sunday evening having already cancelled a planned trip next week to New York, in an apparent effort to contain the crisis.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
This technique examines the portions of DNA that contain instructions for making proteins, allowing scientists to search across thousands of genes for unusual variants shared by affected individuals.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
The company said that each cable can contain anywhere from 96 to 1,728 fibers.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
Banks issuing cards have to support what is called “agentic tokens” that contain a user’s intent and the data for the purchase.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Meanwhile, diplomats hurried back and forth between European capitals, exchanging notes, hoping to contain any fighting and avoid a wider conflict.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
The New York Times op-ed contract provides: “As a freelance contributor to The Times, you may not submit any material for publication that contains content generated, modified or enhanced by gen-A.I. tools.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The new law contains a provision which would allow Police Scotland to continue misconduct proceedings against officers who resign or retire but that part of the legislation has not yet been enacted.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
It also contains cards from the game’s classic collection.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
In reliance on that agreement, the parents entrust the surrogate with their embryo, which contains their own genetic material.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
A nuclear power plant that is humming along properly contains its radiation in the reactor.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
The research team then examined the ingredients in those foods and beverages, including the preservatives they contained.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
But to do so overlooks the thrilling, genuinely thorny assertions contained in several of the season’s best films.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Ecuador beat a British team that contained Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski 3-2 on Wimbledon's Court One in July 2000.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The softer oil prices also reflect growing optimism that the disruption to Middle Eastern crude exports can be contained, according to Samer Hasn at XS.com.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Turned low, the gas jets offered a subdued glow, their flames contained within unusual white fixtures.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
There are further restrictions around accessing material containing personal information, that is business-sensitive, or has not yet been appraised, according to the congregation's access policy.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Giant clusters containing hundreds of thousands of chips have proved useful for training the most sophisticated models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Under a piece of wood by the stump was a yellow sack containing a white Spencer’s shopping bag.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Before European settlement, the landscape around Cloggs Cave included riparian forest and open woodland containing many different plant species.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
Along with the shoebox containing the picture of her parents, the book of poems, and the sketchbook.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
