contain

1 to have within the top drawer of the cabinet contains my stamp collection Synonyms bear, boast, hold Related Words accommodate, fit, take; case, encase, enclose (also inclose), encompass; harbor, house, lodge, shelter

2 to have as part of a whole the contract contains several new clauses Synonyms carry, comprehend, include, embrace, encompass, entail, involve, number, subsume, take inRelated Words comprise, consist (of); bracket; have, hold, own, possess; admit, receive; compose, constitute, form, make; assimilate, embody, incorporate, integrateNear Antonyms ban, bar, debar, preclude, prevent, prohibit; deny, refuse, reject; eliminate, except, rule out; lose, mislay, misplaceAntonyms exclude, leave (out), miss out [British], omit

3 to be made up of the recipe contains several parts Synonyms consist (of), comprise, musterRelated Words comprehend, embrace, encompass, entail, include, involve, take in; assimilate, embody, incorporate

4 to gain emotional or mental control of could hardly contain herself when she heard that she had won the scholarship Synonyms calm, compose, collect, control, re-collect, settleRelated Words hold back, restrain; rally, recover; lull, quiet, soothe, still, tranquilize (also tranquillize)

5 to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) frantic efforts to contain the spread of the disease Synonyms bridle, check, constrain, control, curb, govern, hold, inhibit, keep, measure, pull in, regulate, rein (in), restrain, rule, tameRelated Words bottle (up), choke (back), hold back, mince, muffle, pocket, repress, sink, smother, squelch, stifle, strangle, suppress, swallow; arrest, interrupt, stop; block, hamper, handcuff, hinder, impede, obstruct; gag, muzzle, silenceNear Antonyms liberate, loose, loosen, unleash; air, express, take out, ventAntonyms lose