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

Earlier phases examined high-level safety objectives, passive safety features, cooling systems, containment strategies, and the management of severe accident conditions, with reports from these phases already published. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Jan. 2026

Snow pusher Also called a box plow or containment plow, a snow pusher is an attachment for skid steers, wheel loaders or tractors, meaning having access to one of these vehicles is a requirement for using a snow pusher. —Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 23 Jan. 2026

This is why one of the simplest ways to create containment in your day is to put your to-dos on your calendar, a practice known as timeboxing. —Luciana Paulise, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

That containment logic, either overt or covert, has repeatedly reappeared whenever protest has become politically inconvenient and unpalatable to those in power. —Stephanie A, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026

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