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:
The Port of Long Beach is working toward a goal of doubling its container volume by 2050 — and eliminating its carbon emissions along the way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Each consisted of a conical plastic container with a netted bottom and held one queen along with 60 worker bees.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
On 15 April, police were called to the offices of Volant Media in Park Royal, the parent company of Persian news channel Iran International, after an "ignited container" was thrown towards the site.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Combined loaded container imports into the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in July, in 20-foot equivalent units, down 4.4% from July 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
So I threw it away and returned the washed container with a note that read, The donut may be gone, but I, for one, will never forget it.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Light traps, made from sheets, lamps and containers of soapy water, were used to corner the bugs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
All of them — RVs, makeshift shelters, a few shipping containers and one compound of discarded school bungalows — fall within the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
We tend to assume the next clever kitchen system will come from a new cookbook, a viral freezer hack or somebody else’s meticulously labeled meal-prep containers.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
"We started with the grass, unwanted containers and the polytunnel and now we have all of this – we've got the pond, tree bed and vegetables as well," she explained.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
There were always multiple Cambridge Tea Room containers on the counter in Grandma’s kitchen, and she even left one at our house.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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.
