contain — contain, hold, accommodate denote to have or be capable of having within. To contain is to have within or to have as an element, fraction, or part; to hold is to have the capacity to contain or to retain; thus, a bookcase that holds (is capable… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
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;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Contain — may refer to: Container (disambiguation) Containment (disambiguation) See also All pages beginning with Contain All pages with titles containing contain* Content (disambiguation) Include (disambiguation) … Wikipedia
Contain — Con*tain , v. i. To restrain desire; to live in continence or chastity. [1913 Webster] But if they can not contain, let them marry. 1 Cor. vii. 9. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
contain — [v1] include, hold accommodate, be composed of, comprehend, comprise, consist of, embody, embrace, enclose, encompass, have, have capacity for, hold, incorporate, involve, seat, subsume, take in; concepts 112,736,742 Ant. exclude contain [v2]… … New thesaurus
contain — [kən tān′] vt. [ME conteinen < OFr contenir < L continere, to hold < com , together + tenere, to hold: see THIN] 1. to have in it; hold, enclose, or include [the can contains tea, the list contains 50 items] 2. to have the capacity for… … English World dictionary
contain — I (comprise) verb be composed of, be compounded of, be constituted of, be formed of, capere, comprehendere, consist of, embody, embrace, enfold, envelop, hold, include, incorporate, number, reckon among, subsist of associated concepts: containing … Law dictionary
contain — late 13c., from O.Fr. contein , stem of contenir, from L. continere (transitive) to hold together, enclose, from com together (see COM (Cf. com )) + tenere to hold (see TENET (Cf. tenet)). Related: Containable … Etymology dictionary
contain — ► VERB 1) have or hold within. 2) control or restrain. 3) prevent (a problem) from becoming worse. DERIVATIVES containable adjective. ORIGIN Latin continere, from tenere to hold … English terms dictionary
contain — containable, adj. /keuhn tayn /, v.t. 1. to hold or include within its volume or area: This glass contains water. This paddock contains our best horses. 2. to be capable of holding; have capacity for: The room will contain 75 persons safely. 3.… … Universalium
contain — [[t]kənte͟ɪn[/t]] ♦♦ contains, containing, contained 1) VERB: no cont If something such as a box, bag, room, or place contains things, those things are inside it. [V n] The bag contained a Christmas card... [V n] Factory shops contain a wide… … English dictionary
