con‧tain S2 W1 / kənteɪn / 动词 [及物动词]

1 container/place if something such as a bag, box, or place contains something, that thing is inside it :

The thieves stole a purse containing banknotes.

The museum contains a number of original artworks.

2 writing/speech if a document, book, speech etc contains something, that thing is included in it :

The letter contained information about Boulestin’s legal affairs.

be contained in/within something

The proposed changes are contained in a policy statement.

3 substance if a substance contains something, that thing is part of it :

This product may contain nuts.

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In everyday English, people often use different 短语 to say that something contains something else: The box contained books. ➔ The box had books in it. | The essay contained a lot of mistakes. ➔ There were a lot of mistakes in the essay. | Does this dish contain any meat? ➔ Is there any meat in this dish?

4 control feelings to control strong feelings of anger, excitement etc :

Jane couldn’t contain her amusement any longer.

contain yourself

He was so excited he could hardly contain himself.

5 stop something to stop something from spreading or escaping :

Doctors are struggling to contain the epidemic.

measures aimed at containing political opposition → self-contained

6 maths technical to surround an area or an angle :

How big is the angle contained by these two sides?