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container

n.
US //kənˈteɪnɝ// UK //kəntˈeɪnɐ// con·tain·er
  1. 1 a box or jar (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    an object like a box, bottle, or jar that you use to hold or store things.

    a generic receptacle used for the storage or transport of physical goods.

    Example

    She put the leftover pasta in a plastic container and placed it in the fridge.

    Example

    The laboratory requires every chemical container to be clearly labelled with its contents and the date it was opened.
  2. 2 shipping box (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a very large metal box used for carrying goods on ships, trains, or trucks.

    a standardised, large-scale metal box designed for the efficient transport of freight via intermodal shipping.

    Example

    The crane lifted the heavy container from the ship onto the waiting truck.

    Example

    Global trade relies heavily on the standardisation of containers, which allows seamless transfer between ocean liners and rail networks.
    • shipping crate
    • cargo unit
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  1. 3 software environment (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a package of software that contains everything an application needs to run.

    a lightweight, standalone package of software that includes everything needed to run an application, ensuring consistency across different computing environments.

    Example

    The developer used a container to make sure the app worked the same way on every computer.

    Example

    By deploying the microservices within a container, the engineering team eliminated the 'it works on my machine' problem during the production rollout.

    Usage

    Often used in the context of cloud computing and DevOps.
    • docker image
    • virtual unit
Origin

From Middle English conteyner, equivalent to contain + -er.

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