contain

[ kuhn-teyn ]

/ kənˈteɪn /

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See synonyms for: contain / contained / containing / contains on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to hold or include within its volume or area: This glass contains water. This paddock contains our best horses.

to be capable of holding; have capacity for: The room will contain 75 persons safely.

to have as contents or constituent parts; comprise; include.

to keep under proper control; restrain: He could not contain his amusement.

to prevent or limit the expansion, influence, success, or advance of (a hostile nation, competitor, opposing force, natural disaster, etc.): to contain an epidemic.

to succeed in preventing the spread of: efforts to contain water pollution.

Mathematics. (of a number) to be a multiple of; be divisible by, without a remainder: Ten contains five.

to be equal to: A quart contains two pints.

OTHER WORDS FOR contain

3 embody, embrace.

See synonyms for contain on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of contain

1250–1300; Middle English conte(y)nen<Anglo-French contener,Old French contenir<Latin continēre, equivalent to con-con- + tenēre to hold (see tenet)

synonym study for contain

1. 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 WORDS FROM contain

con·tain·a·ble, adjectivepre·con·tain, verb (used with object)un·con·tain·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use contain in a sentence

You may be surprised to find that most clothing contains plastic, which is a petroleum product.
Trying to shop sustainably? Here’s what you need to consider.|Sarah Kaplan|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
If you build a fire in a BBQ or a small brick fire pit, it is contained.
Why Even A Small Thanksgiving Is Dangerous|Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com)|November 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Elsewhere in the Fortune multiverse, our year-end issue contains a package of stories to guide investors in 2021.
Top tech CEOs join this year’s Brainstorm Tech conference|Aaron Pressman|November 20, 2020|Fortune
Junk food may trigger attention-related problems because it does not contain the good fats needed to build healthy brain cells, says Richardson.
Warning! Junk foods can harm a teen’s brain|Sharon Oosthoek|November 19, 2020|Science News For Students

So, the data contains sales for more than 300,000 different brands, which are typically going to be consumer-packaged goods that are sold at these more traditional retail outlets.
Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 1: TV) (Ep. 440)|Stephen J. Dubner|November 19, 2020|Freakonomics
Jimmy Fallon's uncontainable glee is a welcome respite from late night's usual smarm and snark, but that's Fallon's thing.
Seth Meyers Gets Off to a Rocky Start on 'Late Night'|Kevin Fallon|February 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And more than ever, they race around the world unimpeded by national boundaries and uncontainable by central banks.
Why Markets Are Melting|Zachary Karabell|August 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Uncontainable passion is not just a major preoccupation of the archetype, it's the bedrock.
Lady Gaga's Prison Catfights|Sean Macaulay|March 16, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for contain

contain

/ (kənˈteɪn) /

verb (tr)

to hold or be capable of holding or including within a fixed limit or areathis contains five pints

to keep (one's feelings, behaviour, etc) within bounds; restrain

to consist of; comprisethe book contains three different sections

military to prevent (enemy forces) from operating beyond a certain level or area

maths

to be a multiple of, leaving no remainder6 contains 2 and 3
to have as a subset

Derived forms of contain

containable, adjective

Word Origin for contain

C13: from Old French contenir, from Latin continēre, from com- together + tenēre to hold

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

contain

OTHER WORDS FOR contain

Origin of contain

synonym study for contain

OTHER WORDS FROM contain

Words related to contain

How to use contain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contain

Derived forms of contain

Word Origin for contain