container
Americannoun
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an object used for or capable of holding, esp for transport or storage, such as a carton, box, etc
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a large cargo-carrying standard-sized container that can be loaded from one mode of transport to another
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( as modifier )
a container port
a container ship
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of container
1400–50 for an earlier sense; 1495–1505 container for def. 1; late Middle English conteiner; see contain, -er 1
Explanation
A container holds things inside it. Bags, boxes, buckets, and pockets are all containers. The purpose of a container is to carry, hold, or store something. You might buy nuts at the grocery store, then bring them home and put them in a container, or you could put your leftover pasta in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for tomorrow's lunch. The thing all containers have in common is that they contain, or hold, things. Both words are rooted in the Latin continere, "to hold together or enclose."
Vocabulary lists containing container
"Earth and Space"
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"Introduction to Homeland Security," Vocabulary from Chapter 6
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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:
Security cameras from several buildings in the area recorded the chopper as it descended quickly and struck a metal storage container.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
She added drivers can also keep their keys in a metal container, such as a biscuit tin, or even the microwave at home.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
That’s right: Oprah Winfrey persuaded her followers to buy a cylindrical glass container holding paper and air, for $45.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
Once the writing was finished, Seiler, an affiliate of Berkeley SETI, rolled up the papyrus, sealed it inside a container, placed it in a high-temperature furnace, and burned it until it was thoroughly carbonized.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
Gorringe and his troublemakers have spent the last few months building a huge watertight container, which they will use to tow the obelisk to the harbor.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
The shipment of more than 100 containers holding 2,100 tonnes of toxic waste was sent back to Albania.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Authorities in Islamabad have stacked up shipping containers to block key access routes to the capital city.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
In Bang Kapi locals used ice-boxes and other floating plastic containers to cart supplies from nearby markets and supermarkets, AFP reporters saw.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The Port of Los Angeles handled 2.9 million containers from June through August, a record for any three-month stretch at the port.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
I hold the two containers out to her, and she looks at them as if maybe it’s a trick.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
