Contain

/kənˈteɪn/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To hold inside..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To hold inside.
2. (transitive) To include as a part.
3. (transitive) To put constraints upon; to restrain; to confine; to keep within bounds.
4. (mathematics, of a set etc., transitive) To have as an element or subset.
5. (obsolete, intransitive) To restrain desire; to live in continence or chastity.

Example Sentences

The brown box contains three stacks of books.

a spray bottle containing water.

At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors. […] In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.

[The researchers] noticed many of their pieces of [plastic marine] debris sported surface pits around two microns across. Such pits are about the size of a bacterial cell. Closer examination showed that some of these pits did, indeed, contain bacteria,[…].

Most of the meals they offer contain meat.

Manganism has been known about since the 19th century, when miners exposed to ores containing manganese, a silvery metal, began to totter, slur their speech and behave like someone inebriated.

I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself!

Fear not, my lord: we can contain ourselves.

Synonyms for contain

Antonyms for contain

Related Words

Word Forms

• contains
• containing
• contained

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions