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contract

cont·ract

UK/kənˈtɹækt/ US/ˈkɔntɹakt/ common informal
noun (3) verb (9)

noun

1.

a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law

2.

(contract bridge) the highest bid becomes the contract setting the number of tricks that the bidder must make

Synonyms
3.

a variety of bridge in which the bidder receives points toward game only for the number of tricks he bid

Synonyms

verb

1.
2.

engage by written agreement

  • “They signed two new pitchers for the next season”
Synonyms
3.

squeeze or press together

  • “she compressed her lips”
  • “the spasm contracted the muscle”
Synonyms
4.

become smaller or draw together

  • “The fabric shrank”
  • “The balloon shrank”
Synonyms
Antonyms
5.

be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness

  • “He got AIDS”
  • “She came down with pneumonia”
  • “She took a chill”
Synonyms
6.

make smaller

  • “The heat contracted the woollen garment”
7.

compress or concentrate

  • “Congress condensed the three-year plan into a six-month plan”
Synonyms
8.

make or become more narrow or restricted

  • “The selection was narrowed”
  • “The road narrowed”
Synonyms
Antonyms
9.

reduce in scope while retaining essential elements

  • “The manuscript must be shortened”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

From Middle English, from Middle French contracter, from Latin contractum, past participle of contrahere (“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”), from con- (“with, together”) + trahere (“to draw, to pull”). The verb developed after the noun, and originally meant only "draw together"; the sense "make a contract with" developed later.

Phrases

  • adhesion contract
  • breach of contract
  • contract agent
  • contract awarding
  • contract bridge
  • contract cheating
  • contract curve
  • contract in
  • contract killer
  • contract out of

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Parts

Part of

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.