Meaning & use
container
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
Something such as a box, bottle, or tub that is made to hold things.
Grammar: Countable: a plastic container.
Patterns
- a container for something
- a container of something
Put the leftovers in an airtight container.
The container of paint tipped over.
She brought a container of soup to her neighbor.
nouncountabletechnical
A large metal box of standard size used to carry goods on ships, trains and trucks.
Grammar: Often used before a noun: container ship.
Patterns
- a container of something
- a container ship
Thousands of containers were stacked on the dock.
The shipment arrived in a single forty-foot container.
nouncountablecomputing
In computing, a package that bundles an application with everything it needs to run.
Grammar: Used by software teams: run an app in a container.
Patterns
- run something in a container
The developers deployed the app in a container to avoid setup problems.
Each container runs separately from the others.
Word forms
| plural | containers |
|---|
Common combinations
- airtight container
- Store the flour in an airtight container.
- shipping container
- The shipping container was lifted by a crane.
- plastic container
- A plastic container held the salad.
- container ship
- A huge container ship docked at the port.
- empty container
- Recycle each empty container.
- storage container
- We bought storage containers for the garage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- receptacle
- Receptacle is a formal word for anything that holds things, while container is the ordinary choice.
- vessel
- Vessel usually suggests a liquid holder, and also a ship, so it is narrower than container.
- box
- Box implies a rigid shape with a lid, whereas container can be a bottle, bag or tub.
Opposites
Word family
- contain verb
- to hold or include something inside
- containment noun
- keeping something under control or limits
- containerize verb
- to pack goods into shipping containers
- contents noun
- the things inside something
Commonly confused: container or contender?
container vs contender
A contender is a person competing for a prize, not an object that holds things.
Practice
What is a shipping container?
Choose one answer.
A shipping container is a standardized big metal box. A jar is a container only in the general sense, and a plane or a captain is not a box.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “container”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.