contain

verb con·tain \ kən-ˈtān \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: contain in a Sentence

Definition of contain

contained; containing; contains

transitive verb

1 : to keep within limits: such as

a : restrain, control

could hardly contain her enthusiasm

b : check, halt

contain the spread of a deadly disease

Firefighters contained the wildfire.

c : to follow successfully a policy of containment toward

efforts to contain Communism

d : to prevent (an enemy or opponent) from advancing or from making a successful attack

2 a : to have within : hold

The box contains old letters.

b : comprise, include

The bill contains several new clauses.

3 a : to be divisible by usually without a remainder

b : enclose, bound

intransitive verb

: to restrain oneself

—

containable

play \kən-ˈtā-nə-bəl\ adjective

See contain defined for English-language learners

See contain defined for kids

Examples of contain in a Sentence

The room was barely big enough to contain everyone who came to the meeting.
The book contains over 200 recipes.
The article contains information on how to plan your retirement.
foods that contain a high level of fat
The movie contains something for both children and adults.
State health officials have succeeded in containing the virus.

Recent Examples of contain from the Web

Beet juice does contain sugar, approximately 12 grams in a cup.

— joe graedon, m.s., and teresa graedon, Houston Chronicle, "Natural approaches may ease white fingers of Raynaud’s," 17 June 2018
So as the first game of Argentina’s World Cup ended 1-1 against Iceland here Saturday, Messi couldn’t contain his frustration.

— joshua robinson, WSJ, "Lionel Messi’s World Cup Frustrations Continue in Draw With Iceland," 16 June 2018
As of Friday, the 416 Fire was only 18 percent contained, burning more than 32,000 acres in the last two weeks.

— omar villafranca, CBS News, "Flash flooding feared as Colorado wildfires rage," 15 June 2018
Time will tell if these new battle royale games will be able tap into PUBG and Fortnite’s spark, but their blueprints might just contain a secret passage into the very essence of human need.

— carter melrose, WIRED, "Why Battle Royale Games Like Fortnite Are Everywhere (It’s Not Just Money)," 14 June 2018
As of Thursday morning, all but the Tank Fire had been contained, according to officials.

— kimberly rapanut, azcentral, "Crews stop forward progress of Tank Fire threatening 100 structures," 14 June 2018
If unwanted pounds aren’t bad enough, restaurant meals are also typically high in sodium, yet low in fiber and whole grains, and many don’t contain adequate produce.

— samantha cassetty, NBC News, "The healthiest things to eat at Panera Bread," 14 June 2018
Warning: This story contains spoilers for season 7 of Game of Thrones.

— samantha sasso, refinery29.com, "Is Sophie Turner's New Tattoo The Biggest Game Of Thrones Spoiler Yet?," 14 June 2018
Both contain the stories of women wrestling out from under lives that men tried to define, and were met with a mixture of acclaim and disdain.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Joni Mitchell, Liz Phair and the musical blueprint for #MeToo," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of contain

Middle English conteinen, from Anglo-French cunteign-, cuntyen-, stem of cuntenir, from Latin continēre to hold together, hold in, contain, from com- + tenēre to hold — more at thin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

contain Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of contain

contain, hold, accommodate 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

hold implies the capacity of containing or the usual or permanent function of containing or keeping.

- the bookcase will hold all my textbooks

accommodate stresses holding without crowding or inconvenience.

- the hall can accommodate 500 people

CONTAIN Defined for English Language Learners

contain

verb

Definition of contain for English Language Learners

: to have (something) inside
: to have or include (something)
: to keep (something) from spreading : to keep (something) within limits

CONTAIN Defined for Kids

contain

verb con·tain \ kən-ˈtān \

Definition of contain for Students

contained; containing

1 : to have within : hold

The box contained some old books.

2 : to consist of or include

The building contains classrooms.

3 : to keep within limits : restrain, check

The fire was contained.

I tried to contain my anger.

Word Root of contain

The Latin words tenēre, meaning “to hold,” gives us the roots ten and tain. Words from the Latin tenēre have something to do with holding. Something tenacious holds on and is not easily gotten rid of. To contain is to hold things together inside. To obtain is to get hold of. To retain is to continue to hold.