What does “contain” mean?
- 1
verbto have something inside or as a part
This drink contains a lot of sugar.
- 2
verbto keep something under control so it does not spread
Firefighters worked to contain the fire.
Contain at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- A2 (elementary)
- Pronunciation
- /kənˈteɪn/ · kun-TAYN
How to use “contain” correctly
“Contain” is not usually used in the -ing form: say “The box contains books”, not “is containing”.
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- container
- content
“contain” is on these word lists
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