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American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A receptacle, such as a carton, can, or jar, in which material is held or carried.
2. n. A large reusable receptacle that can accommodate smaller cartons or cases in a single shipment, designed for efficient handling of cargo.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. One who or that which contains.

Wiktionary

1. n. An item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported.
2. n. A very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods (also cargo container).
3. n. By extension someone who holds people in their seats or in a (reasonably) calm state.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. One who, or that which, contains; particularly, an artifactual object that is designed to contain some fluid or solid material, object or objects, especially for convenience in transporting the contained objects.
2. n. a large metallic box designed to hold many smaller boxes or packages, and used for convenience in loading and unloading large quantities of freight, such as on ships, trains, or airplanes.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another)