# container

/kənˈteɪnɝ/ (US) · /kəntˈeɪnɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/container
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a box or jar

noun · CEFR B1

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

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

- She put the leftover pasta in a plastic container and placed it in the fridge.
- The laboratory requires every chemical container to be clearly labelled with its contents and the date it was opened.

### 2. shipping box

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

- The crane lifted the heavy container from the ship onto the waiting truck.
- Global trade relies heavily on the standardisation of containers, which allows seamless transfer between ocean liners and rail networks.

### 3. software environment

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

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

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

## Examples

- Please put the leftovers in a plastic container.
- The developer used a container to ensure the application would run perfectly on both the testing server and the cloud.
- Modern cloud architecture relies heavily on container technology to isolate processes and manage resources efficiently across distributed networks.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.