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:
Officials said a number of structures were developed in violation of the county zoning code and an unpermitted industrial-sized cargo container on site also raised additional concerns about animal safety.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
If it is headed into a cooler, place the parchment-wrapped sandwich inside a resealable bag or hard-sided container.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
In the CSA's report it references previous examples like in September 2024 when an earlier model of ChatGPT escaped its container to get an answer it needed for another test.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Oil and gas tankers, bulk carriers and container ships loaded with raw materials and goods pass through these narrow natural corridors.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 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
When infected mosquitoes are found, workers treat the area where they were collected with adulticide and conduct “source reduction,” a sophisticated way of describing what usually amounts to emptying containers of standing water.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Those cramped containers weren’t conducive to a spoon, says Hollid-Ausset.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Placing food waste in sealed containers inside the building before removal, for instance, would significantly extend the time necessary to clean up the entire site, the company argued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Participants who recycled, used reusable cups and containers, took public transportation, ate greener diets, or cycled to work were no less likely to support wider climate policies and collective action.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Baba carries big foil containers full of samples of Mama’s most popular dishes.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
