CONTAIN Synonyms: 121 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'contain' different from other verbs like it?

The words accommodate and hold are common synonyms of contain . While all three words mean "to have or be capable of having within," contain implies the actual presence of a specified substance or quantity within something. // the can contains a quart of oil

Q: Where would 'accommodate' be a reasonable alternative to 'contain'?

The meanings of accommodate and contain largely overlap; however, accommodate stresses holding without crowding or inconvenience. // the hall can accommodate 500 people

Q: When is it sensible to use 'hold' instead of 'contain'?

While in some cases nearly identical to contain , hold implies the capacity of containing or the usual or permanent function of containing or keeping. // the bookcase will hold all my textbooks

contain

verb

kən-ˈtān

Definition of contain

as in to hold

to have within the top drawer of the cabinet contains my stamp collection

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to include

to have as part of a whole the contract contains several new clauses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to comprise

to be made up of the recipe contains several parts

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to compose

to gain emotional or mental control of could hardly contain herself when she heard that she had won the scholarship

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to regulate

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) frantic efforts to contain the spread of the disease

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word contain different from other verbs like it?

The words accommodate and hold are common synonyms of contain. While all three words mean "to have or be capable of having within," contain implies the actual presence of a specified substance or quantity within something.

the can contains a quart of oil

Where would accommodate be a reasonable alternative to contain?

The meanings of accommodate and contain largely overlap; however, accommodate stresses holding without crowding or inconvenience.

the hall can accommodate 500 people

When is it sensible to use hold instead of contain?

While in some cases nearly identical to contain, hold implies the capacity of containing or the usual or permanent function of containing or keeping.

the bookcase will hold all my textbooks

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of contain An archipelago famed for its friendly culture, white-sand beaches and teeming coral reefs, Fiji has struggled for years to contain a drug boom. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 Digger contains a twist upending its narrative that’s complicated the reviews and discussion as critics have been tiptoeing around describing the film’s actual meta storyline. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 Each package contains four wraps, which the publication counted as four servings. — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026 Areas such as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the North Pacific between Hawaii and Mexico, the central Indian Ocean basin, and the Penrhyn basin in the South Pacific are studded with trillions of stones containing critical minerals. — Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contain

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contain

Verb

Elections for mayors and city councilors are also held every four years, but in different years.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
However, each side holds that the Yemeni civil war has now entered a new phase from which neither side looks eager to extricate itself.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of hold

Verb

The sound of the music was one thing—even when Stereolab were at their loungiest or Stars of the Lid were including the key in which a song was composed in its title, there was something like the faintest air of rock music in their experiments.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
An Israeli airstrike killed at least five Palestinians, including four women, in an apartment building in Gaza City early on Saturday, health and civil defence service officials said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of include

Verb

Their newest collaboration is an expansive collection for Zara Home, which comprises more than 200 pieces of furniture and decor, plus a ready-to-wear clothing line.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 26 Sep. 2026
Hunter mindset has also shifted in recent decades and the percent of annual harvest that yearling bucks comprise has plummeted.

— Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of comprise

Verb

The score, composed by Damon Albarn, has a rough, analog feel to it, incorporating instruments like an Indonesian angklung.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Dylan’s backing band, as introduced at Carnegie, was composed of the Hawks guitarist Robbie Robertson, the organist Garth Hudson, the bassist Rick Danko, the pianist Richard Manual and the drummer Levon Helm.

— Atoosa Moinzadeh, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of compose

Verb

Earlier this year, the administration rescinded the 2009 Endangerment Finding, claiming the Clean Air Act does not give the Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

— Callie Patteson, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
Four add-ons—acupuncture, intralipid infusion (fat injections intended to regulate the immune system) and platelet-rich-plasma (PRP), or blood injections, in the uterus and ovaries—had either mixed evidence or low quality data backing them up.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of regulate

Verb

Not that this strictly counts as stand-up comedy, but certainly a lot of it is in that sphere or involves those skills.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
The appearance of loitering or being unemployed, homeless, or involved in labor organizing were all causes for arrest.

— Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of involve

Verb

Imagine a sprawling network of roomy bike lanes, generously landscaped to calm relentless traffic.

— Barbara Kingsley-Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
The next year, Varjao and her husband Miguel Salinas opened their own Sea Love franchise of Sea Love in Oak Park and are striving to provide that same calming feeling for the community that Varjao felt during that family outing.

— Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of calm

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contagium

contain

contained

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“Contain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contain. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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