containment

noun

con·​tain·​ment kən-ˈtān-mənt 

1

: the act, process, or means of keeping something within limits

the containment of health costs

2

: the policy, process, or result of preventing the expansion of a hostile power or ideology

Examples of containment in a Sentence

The company's hazardous waste containment plan is being reviewed.

The government needs to adopt a containment strategy.

Recent Examples on the Web

At this time, the containment status is unknown and the cause of the fire remains undetermined. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 2026

The Biden administration avoided full-scale economic pressure, prioritizing diplomatic containment over confrontation. —Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026

After reviewing their analysis, Eisenhower decided that a milder approach would work well and opted for a more cost-effective strategy of containment rather than a more expensive one of actively and aggressively rolling back Moscow’s influence. —Caleb Pomeroy, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2025

Union Pacific quickly made their way to the area along with first responders to rescue the engineers and begin containment measures. —Christa Swanson, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

contain + -ment

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for containment

• arraignment
• attainment
• entrainment
• sustainment
• ascertainment
• entertainment