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.
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)
SYNONYMS FOR contain
3 embody, embrace.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR contain ON THESAURUS.COM
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
There was no right way to bite into a rice cake and definitely no good way to contain the stream of crumbs that rained down from the corners of my mouth.
The Rise and Fall of the Rice Cake, America’s One-Time Favorite Health Snack|Brenna Houck|September 17, 2020|Eater
Probably the most explosive centered on the effort to contain the coronavirus pandemic this year.
William Barr is the poster child for politicized law enforcement officials|Philip Bump|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
It contains a 7-megapixel camera on the front and a 12-megapixel camera on the back and is capable of taking 4K videos, which are better quality than high-definition.
Apple debuts its new iPad and iPad Air during its ‘Time Flies’ event|jonathanvanian2015|September 15, 2020|Fortune
Holm and Rotenberg were surprised to find that their paper contained the insight needed to do a lot better.
A New Algorithm for Graph Crossings, Hiding in Plain Sight|Stephanie DeMarco|September 15, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Next year the company plans to put out a quantum processor, called “eagle,” that contains 127 qubits.
IBM plans a huge leap in superfast quantum computing by 2023|rhhackettfortune|September 15, 2020|Fortune
The sequels will contain anything from the Expanded Universe.
Juiciest ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rumors (and Some Debunked Ones)|Rich Goldstein|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They sacrifice their shelter to contain the walkers—and Judith gets her first action scene!
The Walking Dead’s Midseason Finale Shocker: A Cherished Character Meets a Grisly End|Melissa Leon|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Green plants in pre-flowering stages may contain significant protein but not fat.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And while the stories may contain caveats, the initial headlines certainly did not.
Digital Doublethink: Playing Truth or Dare with Putin, Assad and ISIS|Christopher Dickey, Anna Nemtsova|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A band should definitely go to the health-care workers and soldiers who are working to contain Ebola.
It’s Time for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans to Get a Parade of Their Own|Michael Daly|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On his side, Shkrullah Bay could not contain himself for joy when I gave him news of his acquaintances there in detail.
Travels in Central Asia|Arminius Vmbry
A soap for this purpose should be easily soluble in water and contain no free alkali, rosin or filler.
Soap-Making Manual|E. G. Thomssen
The decorated band is divided into panels, three of which are long and contain figures of the alligator.
Ancient art of the province of Chiriqui, Colombia|William Henry Holmes
He was interrupted by his father, who was no longer able to contain himself.
Seventeen|Booth Tarkington
Do gentlemen say opinions can be false which do not contain matter of fact?
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. II (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton
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
militaryto 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