con·tent
ˈkän-ˌtent 
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
Ben Gerson2
b
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
Franklin H. Giddings
b
: a part, element, or complex of parts
4
: the amount of specified material contained : proportion
the sulfur content in coal
contented; contenting; contents
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
Edward Bulwer-Lytton2
: 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.
: contentment
He ate to his heart's content.
Synonyms
Noun (1)
Adjective
Verb
- agree (with)
- delight
- feast
- gas [slang]
- glad [archaic]
- gladden
- gratify
- please
- pleasure
- rejoice
- satisfy
- suit
- warm
Noun (2)
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 WebRonny Maye, Essence, 19 Apr. 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, 19 Apr. 2024
Chris Sims is a digital content producer at Midwest Connect Gannett.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Apr. 2024
Members get all of our content (including the magazine), no paywalls or content meters, an advertising-minimal experience, and unique access to our writers and editors (through conference calls, social media groups, and more).
—The Editors, National Review, 19 Apr. 2024
Under the partnership, Billboard, Billboard Korea and CJ ENM will continue their efforts to promote K-pop contents to the global audience.
—Billboard Staff, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
Still, the content was pretty good and is now finding new homes as real movies, not a piecemeal experiment: Director Veena Sud's thriller ratchets up the suspense with Maika Monroe playing a rideshare driver and Dane DeHaan as the creepiest passenger ever.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided.
—Louis Casiano, Fox News, 18 Apr. 2024
Consistently share authentic content that reflects your expertise and personality across relevant platforms.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The Warriors would likely be content with that one move.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
The police seem content to let business go on uninterrupted.
—Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
In fact, some of us are perfectly content wearing a T-shirt in most environments.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Mar. 2024
Joel, conversely, is content to perform an average of two concerts a month.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
The result is that Now gives those late acts more lip service than love, and feels content to just go straight to the victory lap.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
And where once some artists were content to perform intimate sets in small and midsize venues, many now prioritizes bigger venues and bigger budgets.
—Sonaiya Kelley, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
The halcyon days where venture capitalists were content forking over billions to the latest AI startup, as researchers burned through cash with little to show for it, may be all but over.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune Asia, 28 Mar. 2024
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
Noun
In January, the 29-year-old content creator, internet personality, and former Ph.D. student set out on a solo road trip to be the first Black woman to make this trek.
—Ronny Maye, Essence, 19 Apr. 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, 19 Apr. 2024
Chris Sims is a digital content producer at Midwest Connect Gannett.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Apr. 2024
Members get all of our content (including the magazine), no paywalls or content meters, an advertising-minimal experience, and unique access to our writers and editors (through conference calls, social media groups, and more).
—The Editors, National Review, 19 Apr. 2024
Under the partnership, Billboard, Billboard Korea and CJ ENM will continue their efforts to promote K-pop contents to the global audience.
—Billboard Staff, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
Still, the content was pretty good and is now finding new homes as real movies, not a piecemeal experiment: Director Veena Sud's thriller ratchets up the suspense with Maika Monroe playing a rideshare driver and Dane DeHaan as the creepiest passenger ever.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided.
—Louis Casiano, Fox News, 18 Apr. 2024
Consistently share authentic content that reflects your expertise and personality across relevant platforms.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
Adjective
That doesn’t mean young people are content with the status quo — far from it: The poll finds only 9% of young Americans saying that the country is headed in the right direction.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The Warriors would likely be content with that one move.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
The police seem content to let business go on uninterrupted.
—Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
In fact, some of us are perfectly content wearing a T-shirt in most environments.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Mar. 2024
Joel, conversely, is content to perform an average of two concerts a month.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
The result is that Now gives those late acts more lip service than love, and feels content to just go straight to the victory lap.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
And where once some artists were content to perform intimate sets in small and midsize venues, many now prioritizes bigger venues and bigger budgets.
—Sonaiya Kelley, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
The halcyon days where venture capitalists were content forking over billions to the latest AI startup, as researchers burned through cash with little to show for it, may be all but over.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune Asia, 28 Mar. 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.
Articles Related to content
Dictionary Entries Near content
Cite this Entry
“Content.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/content. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
content
1 of 4 adjective
con·tent
kən-ˈtent
: 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
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
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
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