con|tain

con|tain: con|tain «kuhn TAYN», transitive verb.

1. to have within itself; hold as contents; include: »My purse contains money. A library contains books. Books contain information.

2. to be capable of holding: »This pitcher will contain a quart of milk.

3. to be equal to: »A pound contains 16 ounces.
SYNONYM(S): comprise.

4. to control; hold back; restrain (one's feelings): »She could not contain her anger when he kicked her dog.

5. Military. to control or restrain (enemy forces) by stopping, holding, or surrounding: »The British fleet under Admiral Nelson contained Napoleon's ships at Trafalgar.

6. to be capable of being divided by (a number) without a remainder: »12 contains 2, 3, 4, and 6.

–v.i.

to restrain oneself or one's feelings: »He could contain no longer, but hasting home, invaded his territories, and professed open war (Robert Burton).

╂[< Old French contenir < Latin continēre < com- together + tenēre hold]

–con|tain´a|ble, adjective.

Synonym Study transitive verb. 1, 2 Contain, hold, accommodate mean to have within itself or be capable of having and keeping. Contain emphasizes the idea of actually having something within itself as contents or parts: »The house contains five rooms. The new edition contains several maps and charts.
Hold, although often used interchangeably with contain, suggests being capable of containing: »This carton holds one dozen eggs. A paper bag won't hold water.
Accommodate means to hold conveniently or comfortably: »Most hotel rooms accommodate two people. The new garage accommodates fifty cars.

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con|tain|er — «kuhn TAY nuhr», noun. 1. a box, can, jar, or carton used to hold or contain something. A pitcher is a container. 2. the amount that a container can hold. 3. a person or thing that contains; holder … Useful english dictionary
con|tain´er|i|za´tion — con|tain|er|ize «kuhn TAY nuh ryz», transitive verb, ized, iz|ing. to ship (cargo) in very large, separate containers. –con|tain´er|iz´a|ble, adjective. –con|tain´er|i|za´tion, noun … Useful english dictionary
con|tain´er|iz´a|ble — con|tain|er|ize «kuhn TAY nuh ryz», transitive verb, ized, iz|ing. to ship (cargo) in very large, separate containers. –con|tain´er|iz´a|ble, adjective. –con|tain´er|i|za´tion, noun … Useful english dictionary
con|tain|er|ize — «kuhn TAY nuh ryz», transitive verb, ized, iz|ing. to ship (cargo) in very large, separate containers. –con|tain´er|iz´a|ble, adjective. –con|tain´er|i|za´tion, noun … Useful english dictionary
con|tain´a|ble — con|tain «kuhn TAYN», transitive verb. 1. to have within itself; hold as contents; include: »My purse contains money. A library contains books. Books contain information. 2. to be capable of holding: »This pitcher will contain a quart of milk. 3 … Useful english dictionary
con|tain|ment — «kuhn TAYN muhnt», noun. 1. the act or fact of containing: »... the only known method of containment is with a strong magnetic field (Richard A. Ferrell). 2. the confinement of an unfriendly political or military force within existing… … Useful english dictionary
o|ver|con|tain — «OH vuhr kuhn TAYN», transitive verb. to contain or check to excess: »If a Negro writer…overcontains his emotions, he becomes a white Negro writer (Atlantic) … Useful english dictionary
self-con|tain|ment — «SEHLF kuhn TAYN muhnt», noun. the condition of being self contained … Useful english dictionary
con·tain·ment — /kənˈteınmənt/ noun [noncount] 1 : the act of preventing the spread of something The company s hazardous waste containment plan is being reviewed. trying to achieve cost containment [=trying to prevent costs from becoming too high] 2 : actions… … Useful english dictionary
con — con·acre; con·cat·e·nate; con·cave; con·ceal·er; con·ceit; con·cen·trate; con·cen·tra·tor; con·cen·tric; con·cep·tual; con·cern; con·cern·ing; con·cert; con·cer·tante; con·cer·ti·na; con·ces·sion·ary; con·cha; con·cin·nate; con·com·i·tant;… … English syllables

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con|tain

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