Containing

Containing is the present participle of the verb contain and also serves as a gerund in English. It denotes that something holds inside or includes something else. In everyday usage, it appears in participial clauses to describe a state or to modify a noun: for example, “The box containing strawberries was on the table.” It can also introduce a description of contents, as in “a list containing several errors.” As a gerund, containing can function as a noun, such as in “The containing of the package is secure.”

Semantically, contain and containing distinguish the action from its result. Contain emphasizes holding within boundaries, enclosure, or restraint, while containing describes the presence of elements inside an outer boundary. The form is often preferred in technical or descriptive writing to specify what a thing includes without enumerating every item.

The word’s etymology traces to Latin continere, meaning to hold together or enclose. It passed into Old French as contenir before entering English. Related terms include container (the object that contains), containment (the state of being contained), and include (to have as part of a whole).

Usage tips:

- Use contain in the main verb position: “The box contains water.”

- Use containing to introduce or modify: “a product containing vitamins,” “the document containing the contract.”

- In formal writing, prefer precise phrases like “a box containing X” rather than awkward constructions such as “the box containingly.”

See also: containment, container, enclosure, include, include list.