Containment definition: the act or condition of containing.. See examples of CONTAINMENT used in a sentence. The meaning of CONTAINMENT is the act, process, or means of keeping something within limits. How to use containment in a sentence. Containment is a way to keep something bad from spreading. If you get chicken pox, you won't be allowed back in school until you're not contagious anymore. Your school's aiming for containment of the disease by keeping you away from everyone else. Containment is the act or condition of containing something, or a policy of restricting the influence of a hostile power or ideology. Learn more about the different meanings and uses of containment in politics, physics, and biology.