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# contain

«contain» in Mova's school dictionary: **to have something inside** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (contain, contains, contained, containing)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To contain means to have something inside. A box that contains toys has toys in it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#m1)

2) To contain also means to be made of or to include: food that contains sugar. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#m2)

3) To contain something is to keep it under control, like containing a fire. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

maths: tells how many things are inside a box, bag or pack; often «each box contains 6», which is a rate; science: water contains oxygen and hydrogen; everyday life and safety: food labels say what a food contains (nuts, milk); a container holds things

### examples

- Each box contains 12 crayons. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#x1)
- A bag contains 5 red and 3 blue marbles. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#x2)
- The jar contained 40 cookies. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#x3)
- How many pencils do 4 packs contain? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#x4)
- This cake contains nuts. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#x5)
- Fruit contains vitamins. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#x6)
- The firefighters contained the fire. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#x7)
- The book contains 20 stories. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#x8)
- Before her stood a glass bowl containing four gold-fish. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/#x9)

### note

«Each … contains n» is a rate: total = n × number of boxes, or boxes = total ÷ n. Trap: «contains 5 red and 3 blue» means the total is the sum, 8. Safety: read labels if you have an allergy.

### In the corpora

- [Coffee contains caffeine, which makes the brain feel more awake; people who drink it every morning feel slow and grumpy without it.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/27-coffee-tea-wine-and-the-pub/5/)
- [Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, because it contains a chemical that dogs cannot break down well.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/225-caring-for-a-pet-needs-dangers-and-responsibility/8/)
- [Rhubarb stalks are safe to eat cooked, but rhubarb leaves are poisonous because they contain a lot of oxalic acid.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/255-plants-deeper-poisonous-and-stinging-plants-and-staying-safe/14/)
- [Green potatoes and potato sprouts contain a mild poison, so they should not be eaten.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/288-plants-we-eat-roots-stems-leaves-flowers-fruits-and-seeds/8/)
- [Chocolate contains theobromine, which dogs break down very slowly, so it can make them very ill, dark chocolate most of all.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/347-sugar-chocolate-tea-and-coffee-the-plants-behind-treats/16/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «contain» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contain/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.