contain

verb

con·​tain kən-ˈtān How to pronounce contain (audio)
contained; containing; contains
Synonyms of containnext

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
kən-ˈtā-nə-bəl How to pronounce contain (audio)
adjective

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On July 17, the Wall Street Journal first revealed a birthday letter book compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein containing messages from Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, fashion designer Vera Wang and billionaire Leon Black, among others. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025 This helical strand of molecules allows for information contained in DNA in the nucleus of cells to be delivered to ribosomes where protein synthesis can occur. — Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025 Tapioca pearls often contain a fiber called guar gum. — Samantha Lauriello, Health, 6 Aug. 2025 Neeson of course plays the fixer character enlisted to contain the parasite. — Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for contain

Word History

Etymology

Middle English conteynen, borrowed from Anglo-French cunteign-, cunteyn-, present tense stem of contenir, cuntenir, going back (with conjugation change) to Latin continēre "to hold together, restrain, have as contents," from con- con- + tenēre "to hold, occupy, possess" — more at tenant entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of contain was in the 14th century

Rhymes for contain

See All Rhymes for contain

Browse Nearby Words

contagium
contain
contained
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contain. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

contain

verb
con·​tain kən-ˈtān How to pronounce contain (audio)
1
: to keep within limits : restrain, check
tried to contain my laughter
the forest fire was finally contained
2
: to have within
3
: to consist of : include
4
: to be divisible by especially without a remainder
20 contains 5
containment
-ˈtān-mənt
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on contain

Nglish: Translation of contain for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

12 Words Whose History Will Surprise You

More Words with Remarkable Origins
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
retro style illustration of a tv with shapes and lightening bolts coming from the screen
Pop Culture Vocab Quiz “Embiggen,” “regift,” “friend zone” a...
See All