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View synonyms for contain

contain

[ kuhn-teyn ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to hold or include within its volume or area:

    This glass contains water.

    This paddock contains our best horses.

  2. to be capable of holding; have capacity for:

    The room will contain 75 persons safely.

  3. to have as contents content or constituent parts; comprise; include.

    Synonyms: embrace, embody

  4. to keep under proper control; restrain:

    He could not contain his amusement.

  5. to prevent or limit the expansion, influence, success, or advance of (a hostile nation, competitor, opposing force, natural disaster, etc.):

    to contain an epidemic.

  6. to succeed in preventing the spread of:

    efforts to contain water pollution.

  7. Mathematics. (of a number) to be a multiple of; be divisible by, without a remainder:

    Ten contains five.

  8. to be equal to:

    A quart contains two pints.



contain

/ kənˈteɪn /

verb

  1. to hold or be capable of holding or including within a fixed limit or area

    this contains five pints

  2. to keep (one's feelings, behaviour, etc) within bounds; restrain
  3. to consist of; comprise

    the book contains three different sections

  4. military to prevent (enemy forces) from operating beyond a certain level or area
  5. maths
    1. to be a multiple of, leaving no remainder

      6 contains 2 and 3

    2. to have as a subset


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Derived Forms

  • conˈtainable, adjective

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Other Words From

  • con·taina·ble adjective
  • precon·tain verb (used with object)
  • uncon·taina·ble adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of contain1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English conte(y)nen, from Anglo-French contener, Old French contenir, from Latin continēre, equivalent to con- con- + -tinēre, verb suffix of tenēre “to hold” ( tenet )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of contain1

C13: from Old French contenir, from Latin continēre, from com- together + tenēre to hold

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Synonym Study

Contain, accommodate, hold, express the idea that something is so designed that something else can exist or be placed within it. Contain refers to what is actually within a given container. Hold emphasizes the idea of keeping within bounds; it refers also to the greatest amount or number that can be kept within a given container. Accommodate means to contain comfortably or conveniently, or to meet the needs of a certain number. A passenger plane that accommodates 50 passengers may be able to hold 60, but at a given time may contain only 30.

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Example Sentences

There was no right way to bite into a rice cake and definitely no good way to contain the stream of crumbs that rained down from the corners of my mouth.

From Eater

Probably the most explosive centered on the effort to contain the coronavirus pandemic this year.

It contains a 7-megapixel camera on the front and a 12-megapixel camera on the back and is capable of taking 4K videos, which are better quality than high-definition.

From Fortune

Holm and Rotenberg were surprised to find that their paper contained the insight needed to do a lot better.

Next year the company plans to put out a quantum processor, called “eagle,” that contains 127 qubits.

From Fortune

The sequels will contain anything from the Expanded Universe.

Canned drinks like Mercy contain up 5,000 percent of the daily value of certain vitamins.

They sacrifice their shelter to contain the walkers—and Judith gets her first action scene!

Green plants in pre-flowering stages may contain significant protein but not fat.

And while the stories may contain caveats, the initial headlines certainly did not.

Selections for practice should be chosen which contain much variety of thought and feeling and are smooth in movement.

Since this is a law of vibration, it is unscientific to speak of giving an overtone, for all tones contain overtones.

The apocryphal gospels contain many, and some are preserved by Persian and Arabian poets.

These globular masses usually contain many tubercle bacilli.

(a) Epithelial casts contain epithelial cells from the renal tubules.

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contagiumcontained