Definition of 'containment'
1. uncountable noun
Containment is the action or policy of keeping another country's power or area of control within acceptable limits or boundaries.
2. uncountable noun
The containment of something dangerous or unpleasant is the act or process of keeping it under control within a particular area or place.
Fire crews are hoping they can achieve full containment of the fire before the winds
pick up. [+ of]
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
containment in British English
noun
1.
the act or condition of containing, esp of restraining the ideological or political power of a hostile country or the operations of a hostile military force
2.
3. Also called: confinement physics
the process of preventing the plasma in a controlled thermonuclear reactor from reaching the walls of the reaction vessel, usually by confining it within a configuration of magnetic fields
See magnetic bottle Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
containment in American English
noun
a containing or being contained
; esp.,a.
the policy of attempting to prevent the influence of an opposing nation or political system from spreading
b.
the U.S. post-WWII policy of checking the political and territorial expansion of the U.S.S.R.
c.
the systems used to confine highly radioactive experiments, fusion experiments, etc., esp. the steel and concrete shell used in a nuclear power plant
: in full containment structureWebster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
containment in American English
(kənˈteinmənt)
noun
1.
the act or condition of containing
2.
an act or policy of restricting the territorial growth or ideological influence of another, esp. a hostile nation
3. (in a nuclear power plant)
an enclosure completely surrounding a nuclear reactor, designed to prevent the release of radioactive material in the event of an accident
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1645–55; contain + -ment]Examples of 'containment' in a sentence
containment
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Definition of containment from the Collins English Dictionary
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