content

1 of 4

noun (1)

con·​tent ˈkän-ˌtent How to pronounce content (audio)
1
a
: something contained
usually used in plural
the jar's contents
the drawer's contents
b
: the topics or matter treated in a written work
table of contents
c
: the principal substance (such as written matter, illustrations, or music) offered by a website
… Internet users have evolved an ethos of free content in the Internet.Ben Gerson
2
c
: the events, physical detail, and information in a work of art compare form sense 10c
The film was rated R for its violent content.
3
a
: the matter dealt with in a field of study
… the content of sociology is inexhaustible …Franklin H. Giddings
b
: a part, element, or complex of parts
4
: the amount of specified material contained : proportion
the sulfur content in coal

content

2 of 4

adjective

con·​tent kən-ˈtent How to pronounce content (audio)
: contented, satisfied
She was content with her life as it was.

content

3 of 4

verb

con·​tent kən-ˈtent How to pronounce content (audio)
contented; contenting; contents

transitive verb

1
: to appease the desires of
… he had been betrayed into a position which neither contented his heart nor satisfied his conscience.Edward Bulwer-Lytton
2
: to limit (oneself) in requirements, desires, or actions
The rainy weather spoiled our plans for the beach, so we had to content ourselves with a relaxing day at home.

content

4 of 4

noun (2)

con·​tent kən-ˈtent How to pronounce content (audio)
: contentment
He ate to his heart's content.

Examples of content in a Sentence

Adjective The baby looks content in her crib. A fancy hotel is not necessary; I'd be content with a warm meal and a clean place to sleep. No, I don't want to play. I'm content to watch. Not content to stay at home, she set off to see the world at the age of 16. Polls show that voters are growing less and less content with the current administration. Verb The toys contented the children, at least for a little while. a person easily contented by life's simple pleasures
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Italian law currently requires streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon Prime to invest 20% of their local revenue in European productions and to spend no less than half of that sum on producing Italian content. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 In addition to editing content, Alex also covers breaking news, writing about crime and severe weather as well as everything from multistate lottery jackpots to the July Fourth hot dog eating contest. Alex Sundby, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 Beijing considers some advanced technology, including content recommendation algorithms, to be critical to its national interest, and may ultimately prefer having TikTok leave the US market rather than surrendering its algorithm. Allison Morrow, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 While CrowdTangle is used by news outlets, academic researchers, and regulators to monitor viral content, such as the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories, Meta Content Library will only be available to nonprofit researchers and academics. Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Reddit was nowhere close to that—in part because 90 percent of new content is still in English. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 Premium solutions mainly consists of the sale, promotion, marketing and delivery of digital content for artists and labels. Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 Instead, that’s when most kids get their first smartphone and sign themselves up (with or without parental permission) to consume rivers of content from random strangers. Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 In 2022, Sony folded Funimation and incorporated its content into Crunchyroll. Todd Spangler, Variety, 2 Mar. 2024
Adjective
That strike propelled Arsenal forward in the second half, though Porto looked increasingly content with sitting back and absorbing the pressure. Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Unlike air travel, most people are content with taking the scenic route at a deliberate pace. Javier Panzar, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Bedi said that the word ‘Asian’ suggests mainly content from the Far East and the Frames market plugs the gap for South Asian and Middle Eastern content. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 Though, since the One launched, Google Stadia and Microsoft’s xCloud game streaming services have come to iOS, giving you more content to play than before. Quentyn Kennemer, The Verge, 4 Mar. 2024 World Champion Noah Lyles also seems to be content with his win at the event. Paras Jan, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Nashville has grown into quite the foodie city, so the adults will be content with incredible dinners. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2024 Never content to rest on his meaty laurels, Othman is adamant that Pincho will always compete with a brand new item. Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024 As Sam and Lucy’s parents, Julia McNeal and Harold Surratt exude a calm, easygoing quality, seemingly content in a quiet life. Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
On Tuesday, the British media contented itself with images of Prince Harry arriving at his father’s London residence, Clarence House, for a visit. Mark Landler, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024 Whereas some name-brand Hollywood directors cultivated their public personas, Jewison, who died last week at 97, contented himself with creating some of the most captivating movies of the 20th century. Ira Wells, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2024 Anyone can see that cats that are well fed still pounce on small moving objects, and that cats can lead healthy and seemingly contented lives indoors. Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023 Historically, lodgings outside the capital have contented themselves with hosting the budget-conscious backpacker crowd. John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2023 Rather than working long hours on set for a production company or movie studio, a growing number of children create, and often monetize, content themselves in the hopes of building a media empire like MrBeast, one of YouTube’s biggest stars. Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2023 Regardless, the Chargers were left feeling less than contented as their fading season ambled on. Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023 Nyad was blown off course and contented with shoulder pain, asthma and stings from jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-war. Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023 If the statues themselves are beyond your gifting price range, there’s also the option to content yourself with some window shopping. Vulture Staff, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'content.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin contentum (usually in plural contenta), noun derivative from neuter past participle of Latin continēre "to hold together, restrain, have as contents" — more at contain

Adjective

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin contentus "satisfied," from past participle of continēre "to hold together, restrain, have as contents" — more at contain

Note: The sense "satisfied" of Latin contentus presumably developed from the more literal meaning "self-contained, restrained, held in." This is still somewhat apparent in early uses, as in this passage from Plautus's Poenulus: "ego faxo posthac di deaeque ceteri / contentiores mage erunt atque avidi minus, / quom scibunt, ut Veneri adierit leno manum." ("I will make the other gods and goddesses more restrained (contentiores) and less greedy when they know how the procurer played a trick on Venus.")

Verb

Middle English contenten "to rest satisfied, satisfy," borrowed from Anglo-French contenter "to satisfy," borrowed from Medieval Latin contentāre, verbal derivative of Latin contentus "satisfied" — more at content entry 2

Noun (2)

noun derivative of content entry 2 or content entry 3

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1579, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of content was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near content

Cite this Entry

“Content.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/content. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

content

1 of 4 adjective
con·​tent kən-ˈtent How to pronounce content (audio)
: pleased and satisfied with what one has or is

content

2 of 4 verb
: to make content : satisfy

content

3 of 4 noun
: contentment
especially : freedom from care or discomfort

content

4 of 4 noun
con·​tent ˈkän-ˌtent How to pronounce content (audio)
1
a
: something contained
usually used in plural
the contents of a jar
b
: the subject matter or topics treated (as in a book)
table of contents
2
: the essential meaning
I enjoy the rhythm of the poem but I don't understand its content
3
: an amount that is contained or can be contained
oil with a high content of sulfur
the jug has a content of four liters

Medical Definition

content

noun
con·​tent ˈkän-ˌtent How to pronounce content (audio)
1
: something contained
usually used in plural
the stomach contents
2
: the subject matter or symbolic significance of something see latent content, manifest content
3
: the amount of specified material contained
the sulfur content of a sample

More from Merriam-Webster on content

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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