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Synonyms

container

American  
[kuhn-tey-ner] / kənˈteɪ nər /

noun

  1. anything that contains or can contain something, as a carton, box, crate, or can.

  2. a large, vanlike, reuseable box for consolidating smaller crates or cartons into a single shipment, designed for easy and fast loading and unloading of freight.

container British  
/ kənˈteɪnə /

noun

  1. an object used for or capable of holding, esp for transport or storage, such as a carton, box, etc

    1. a large cargo-carrying standard-sized container that can be loaded from one mode of transport to another

    2. ( as modifier )

      a container port

      a container ship
"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

Etymology

Origin of container

1400–50 for an earlier sense; 1495–1505 container for def. 1; late Middle English conteiner; contain, -er 1

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.

Photos posted by the department on its Facebook page showed three men and a woman in handcuffs in a storage facility and a storage container about half full with what appeared to be catalytic converters.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The Malta-flagged container ship owned by French company CMA CGM crossed the strait, media organisation BFM TV - which is owned by the shipping company - confirmed on Friday.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

A container ship declaring itself to have a French owner has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Marine Traffic data analysed by AFP.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

AL JEER, United Arab Emirates—Oil tankers, container ships and bulk carriers shimmer all over the horizon to the left of the windswept beach here at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Bright Ghanaian cloth created a pretty canopy over her bed, and a glass container sat beside her table.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

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.