containment

/kənˈteɪnmənt/ (bre, ipa) · /kənˈteɪnmənt/ (ame, ipa) · /kən-ˈtān-mənt/ (ame, mw)

containment — noun

1. the work of stopping a harmful thing — such as a fire, disease, or leak — from s

1.名詞C1
釋義

the work of stopping a harmful thing — such as a fire, disease, or leak — from spreading or causing more damage.

例句

Quick containment of the kitchen fire saved the rest of the apartment block.

containment of + [harmful event]

Health workers in Quinn's village focused on the containment of the cholera outbreak.

collocation: containment of an outbreak

同義詞
  • control

    broader; control can mean steady management, while containment stresses stopping spread

  • suppression

    stronger; suppression often means crushing or silencing, not just limiting

  • limitation

    neutral and abstract; lacks the urgency of containment

反義詞
  • spread

    the very thing containment aims to prevent

  • escalation

    growth in scale or seriousness — the opposite outcome

文法句型

containment of [noun]

用法筆記

Object is almost always something seen as harmful or unwanted (fire, disease, leak, riot, crisis). The phrase 'containment of X' is the dominant pattern; 'under containment' is also common.

常見錯誤

❌The team worked on the containment of the new policy.
✅The team worked on the containment of the protests.
💡containment applies to harmful or unwanted things, not neutral things like policies.

2. a long-term government strategy of stopping a rival nation or ideology from gain

2.名詞C2
釋義

a long-term government strategy of stopping a rival nation or ideology from gaining more power and territory, mainly through alliances and pressure rather than direct war.

例句

After 1947, Washington adopted a strategy of containment toward the Soviet Union.

strategy / policy of containment

Ishaan argued that quiet diplomacy works better than open containment of a neighbour.

同義詞
  • deterrence

    focuses on threatening costs to discourage action; containment focuses on limiting reach

  • isolation

    stronger and more total; cuts a country off rather than just limiting its power

反義詞
  • engagement

    the opposite policy: deal with the rival through trade and dialogue rather than block them

  • appeasement

    giving in to a rival's demands to keep the peace — the historical opposite of containment

文法句型

policy of containment

containment of [country/ideology]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is restricted to international politics, with countries or ideologies as the object. Often appears as 'policy of containment' or with a named rival ('containment of China', 'containment of communism').

常見錯誤

❌Containment with Russia made trade difficult.
✅Containment of Russia made trade difficult.
💡use 'of' before the target country, not 'with'.