CONTAIN
check, turn back, arrest, stop, contain, hold back
(verb) 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”
control, hold in, hold, contain, curb, moderate
(verb) 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”
incorporate, contain, comprise
(verb) 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”
contain
(verb) be divisible by; “24 contains 6”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
contain (third-person singular simple present contains, present participle containing, simple past and past participle contained)
(transitive) To hold inside.
(transitive) To include as a part.
(transitive) To put constraint upon; to restrain; to confine; to keep within bounds.
(mathematics, of a set etc., transitive) To have as an element or subset.
(obsolete, intransitive) To restrain desire; to live in continence or chastity.
Synonyms
• (hold inside): enclose, inhold
• (include as part): comprise, embody, incorporate, inhold
• (limit by restraint): control, curb, repress, restrain, restrict, stifle; See also curb
Antonyms
• (include as part): exclude, omit
• (limit by restraint): release, vent
Usage notes
• This is generally a stative verb that rarely takes the continuous inflection. See
Anagrams
• actinon, cantion
Source: Wiktionary
Con*tain", v. t. [imp. & p.p. Contained; p.pr. & vb.n. Containing.]
Etym: [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.
Con*tain", v. i.
Definition: To restrain desire; to live in continence or chastity.
But if they can not contain, let them marry. 1 Cor. vii. 9.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition