Adjacent Words

Contain definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONTAIN, v.t. [L., to hold. See Tenet, Tenure.]
1. To hold, as a vessel; as, the vessel contains a gallon. Hence, to have capacity; to be able to hold; applied to an empty vessel.
2. To comprehend; to hold within specified limits.
Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee. 1 Kings 8.
3. To comprehend; to comprise. The history of Livy contains a hundred and forty books.
4. To hold within limits prescribed; to restrain; to withhold from trespass or disorder.
The Kings person contains the unruly people from evil occasions.
Fear not, my Lord, we can contain ourselves.
5. To include. This article is not contained in the account. This number does not contain the article specified.
6. To inclose; as, this cover or envelop contains a letter.
CONTAIN, v.i. To live in continence or chastity. Arbuthnot and Pope. 1 Corinthians 7.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: include or contain; have as a component; "A totally new idea is comprised in this paper"; "The record contains many old songs from the 1930's" [syn: incorporate, contain, comprise]
2: contain or hold; have within; "The jar carries wine"; "The canteen holds fresh water"; "This can contains water" [syn: hold, bear, carry, contain]
3: lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits; "moderate your alcohol intake"; "hold your tongue"; "hold your temper"; "control your anger" [syn: control, hold in, hold, contain, check, curb, moderate]
4: be divisible by; "24 contains 6"
5: be capable of holding or containing; "This box won't take all the items"; "The flask holds one gallon" [syn: contain, take, hold]
6: hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of; "Arrest the downward trend"; "Check the growth of communism in South East Asia"; "Contain the rebel movement"; "Turn back the tide of communism" [syn: check, turn back, arrest, stop, contain, hold back]

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: Middle English conteinen, from Anglo-French cunteign-, cuntyen-, stem of cuntenir, from Latin contin?re to hold together, hold in, contain, from com- + ten?re to hold — more at thin Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to keep within limits: as a. restrain, control <could hardly contain her enthusiasm> b. check, halt <contain the spread of a deadly disease> c. to follow successfully a policy of containment toward <efforts to contain Communism> d. to prevent (as an enemy or opponent) from advancing or from making a successful attack 2. a. to have within ; hold b. comprise, include <the bill contains several new clauses> 3. a. to be divisible by usually without a remainder b. enclose, bound intransitive verb to restrain oneself • containable adjective Synonyms: contain, hold, accommodate mean to have or be capable of having within. contain implies the actual presence of a specified substance or quantity within something <the can contains a quart of oil>. hold implies the capacity of containing or the usual or permanent function of containing or keeping <the bookcase will hold all my textbooks>. accommodate stresses holding without crowding or inconvenience <the hall can accommodate 500 people>.

U.S. Military Dictionary

To stop, hold, or surround the forces of the enemy or to cause the enemy to center activity on a given front and to prevent the withdrawal of any part of the enemy's forces for use elsewhere.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 hold or be capable of holding within itself; include, comprise. 2 (of measures) consist of or be equal to (a gallon contains eight pints). 3 prevent (an enemy, difficulty, etc.) from moving or extending. 4 control or restrain (oneself, one's feelings, etc.). 5 (of a number) be divisible by (a factor) without a remainder. Derivatives: containable adj. Etymology: ME f. OF contenir f. L continere content- (as com-, tenere hold)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Contain Con*tain", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Contained; p. pr. & vb. n. Containing.] [OE. contenen, conteinen, F. contenir, fr. L. continere, -tentum; con- + tenere to hold. See Tenable, and cf. Countenance.] 1. To hold within fixed limits; to comprise; to include; to inclose; to hold. Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can not contain thee; how much less this house! --2 Chron. vi. 18. When that this body did contain a spirit. --Shak. What thy stores contain bring forth. --Milton. 2. To have capacity for; to be able to hold; to hold; to be equivalent to; as, a bushel contains four pecks. 3. To put constraint upon; to restrain; to confine; to keep within bounds. [Obs., exept as used reflexively.] The king's person contains the unruly people from evil occasions. --Spenser. Fear not, my lord: we can contain ourselves. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Contain Con*tain", v. i. To restrain desire; to live in continence or chastity. But if they can not contain, let them marry. --1 Cor. vii. 9.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(contains, containing, contained) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If something such as a box, bag, room, or place contains things, those things are inside it. The bag contained a Christmas card... Factory shops contain a wide range of cheap furnishings... The 77,000-acre estate contains five of the highest peaks in Scotland. VERB: no cont, V n, V n, V n 2. If a substance contains something, that thing is a part of it. Many cars run on petrol which contains lead. VERB: no cont, V n 3. If writing, speech, or film contains particular information, ideas, or images, it includes them. This sheet contained a list of problems a patient might like to raise with the doctor... The two discs also contain two of Britten's lesser-known song-cycles. VERB: no cont, V n, V n 4. If a group or organization contains a certain number of people, those are the people that are in it. The committee contains 11 Democrats and nine Republicans. VERB: no cont, V n 5. If you contain something, you control it and prevent it from spreading or increasing. More than a hundred firemen are still trying to contain the fire at the plant... VERB: V n 6. If you cannot contain a feeling such as excitement or anger, or if you cannot contain yourself, you cannot prevent yourself from showing your feelings. But he was bursting with curiosity, and one day he just couldn't contain himself. 'What are you going to do?' he asked... Evans could barely contain his delight: 'I'm so proud of her,' he said. VERB: V pron-refl, V n 7. see also self-contained

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kon-tan'.

See CONTINENCY.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Comprehend, comprise, embrace, include, embody. 2. Hold, have capacity for. 3. Restrain, keep in check. II. v. n. Be continent, live in continence.

Moby Thesaurus

accommodate, add up to, admit, affect, aggregate, aggregate to, amount to, arrest, assimilate, assume, bang, bar, barricade, batten, batten down, bear, beleaguer, beset, besiege, blockade, bolt, bound, box in, bridle, bring, button, button up, cage, call for, carry, chamber, check, choke, choke off, clap, close, close in, close up, collect, come to, compass, complete, comprehend, comprise, condition, confine, constrain, constrict, contract, control, cool, cool off, coop, coop in, coop up, copyright, cordon, cordon off, corral, count in, cover, curb, curtail, decelerate, discipline, dompt, draw the line, embed, embody, embrace, encircle, enclose, encompass, enfold, enjoin, enshrine, entail, envisage, fasten, fence in, fill, fill in, fill out, fold, fold up, govern, guard, hedge about, hedge in, hem in, hinder, hold, hold at bay, hold back, hold fast, hold in, hold in check, hold in leash, hold up, house in, implicate, imply, impound, imprison, incarcerate, include, incorporate, inhibit, internalize, involve, jail, keep, keep back, keep from, keep in, keep in check, keep under control, keep within, kennel, key, latch, lay under restraint, lead to, leaguer, limit, lock, lock out, lock up, mew, mew up, moderate, mount up to, narrow, number, number among, occlude, occupy, padlock, patent, pen, pen in, plumb, pocket, presume, presuppose, prohibit, pull, pull in, put in, qualify, quarantine, rail in, receive, reckon among, reckon in, reckon up to, reckon with, register, rein, rein in, repress, require, restrain, restrict, retard, retrench, run into, run to, scant, seal, seal off, seal up, seat, secure, set back, shrine, shut, shut in, shut the door, shut up, slam, slow down, snap, snub, specialize, squeeze shut, stable, stifle, stint, straiten, strangle, subsume, suppress, surround, take, take in, take into account, take into consideration, take up, tot up to, total, tote up to, unitize, wall in, withhold, wrap, yard, yard up, zip up, zipper