Meaning & use
contain
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To have something inside, or to include it as a part.
Grammar: Takes an object and is not used in the progressive: the box contains books.
Patterns
- contain something
The jar contains two cups of flour.
This soup contains no meat.
The report contains several mistakes.
verbtransitive
To keep something from spreading or getting worse.
Grammar: Takes an object: contain the outbreak.
Patterns
- contain something
Firefighters worked to contain the blaze.
Officials hope to contain the virus within the region.
The company tried to contain the damage.
verbtransitive
To keep your feelings under control.
Grammar: Often used with a reflexive: contain yourself.
Patterns
- contain yourself
- contain your something
She could hardly contain her excitement.
He couldn't contain his laughter.
Please contain yourself until the speech is over.
verbtransitivemathematics
To be equal to or divisible by a particular number or amount.
Grammar: Used in math: twelve contains four three times.
Patterns
- contain something
Twelve contains three fours.
A kilogram contains a thousand grams.
Word forms
| third person singular | contains |
|---|---|
| past tense | contained |
| past participle | contained |
| -ing form | containing |
Common combinations
- contain the spread
- Doctors tried to contain the spread of the disease.
- contain traces of
- The product may contain traces of nuts.
- contain your anger
- He struggled to contain his anger.
- contain the fire
- Crews managed to contain the fire by night.
- contain information
- The file contains personal information.
- fully contained
- The leak was fully contained.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hold
- Hold stresses capacity or keeping something, while contain stresses what is inside.
- include
- Include suggests a part of a larger list, while contain suggests physically or logically having inside.
- restrain
- Restrain is stronger and used for holding back people or actions.
- suppress
- Suppress means to stop something from showing or continuing by force.
Opposites
Word family
- container noun
- something used to hold things
- containment noun
- keeping something under control
- content noun
- what is inside
- contents noun
- everything inside something
- self-contained adjective
- complete in itself
Commonly confused: contain or contend?
contain vs contend
Contend means to compete or to argue a point, and does not mean to hold inside.
Practice
The bottle labelled 'poison' should not ____ anything safe to drink.
Choose one answer.
Contain means to have inside. Retain means to keep, and does not describe what a bottle holds.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contain”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.