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.
Tiny impurities in the water or even microscopic scratches inside a container can provide those starting points.
From Science Daily • Jul. 8, 2026
CEO and co-founder Landon Mossburg said its first products, each about the size of a shipping container, will begin rolling out in early 2027.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
With operations in 84 countries and more than 126,000 employees around the world, the firm handles around a tenth of global container traffic.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
The price of each container shot up from about $2,000 to $8,000 after the outbreak of the Middle East war, the 40-year-old told AFP.
From Barron's • Jul. 5, 2026
But another great container for standing waves actually holds standing waves of air inside a long, narrow tube.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
