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To establish or stipulate as a previous condition
To enter into a formal and legally binding agreement
“An importer will contract with us to purchase these goods.”
To hire or be hired
“We have decided to contract several engineers to ensure that the project is completed in a timely manner.”
To catch or develop (a disease or infectious agent)
“There are numerous ways to contract the disease that you should be aware of.”
To decrease in size, number, or range
“Advice from analysts that the market will contract by several million gives cause for concern.”
To decrease or diminish gradually
“The sizes of individual components appear to contract with time.”
To shorten (a word or phrase) by combination or elision
“In the eighteenth century, linguists would contract Hocus Pocus into what we refer today as a hoax.”
To become liable to pay
“The minister of Finance has the mandate to contract debts for the nation whenever the need arises.”
(of a muscle) To become shorter and tighter in order to effect movement of part of the body
“Electrical stimulation is used to cause the heart muscles to contract or pump.”
To draw together so as to wrinkle
“She would contract her brow after each bout, and then regurgitate what had become her favorite word.”
Legal documents or contracts between parties
The conducting of trade, business or commerce
Contracts for investment in commodities
Tasks to be performed
Plural for a written or spoken agreement, usually legal or official
“There will be repercussions if you break the terms stipulated in the contract.”
Related Words and Phrases
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