verb🔗ShareTo draw together or nearer; to shorten, narrow, or lessen."Example: "As the weather cooled down, the metal pipe started contracting, making a creaking sound." "physiologymedicineanatomybiologyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verb🔗Share(grammar) To shorten by omitting a letter or letters or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one."When writing quickly, people often start contracting words like "cannot" to "can't." "grammarlinguisticslanguageChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verb🔗ShareTo enter into a contract with."The company is contracting a new marketing team. "businesslaweconomyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verb🔗ShareTo enter into, with mutual obligations; to make a bargain or covenant for."The company is contracting with a local farm to supply fresh produce for the office cafeteria. "businesslawChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verb🔗ShareTo make an agreement or contract; to covenant; to agree; to bargain."to contract for carrying the mail"businesslaweconomyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verb🔗ShareTo bring on; to incur; to acquire."She contracted the habit of smoking in her teens."businesseconomyfinanceChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verb🔗ShareTo gain or acquire (an illness)."After visiting the hospital, she worried about contracting a cold. "medicinediseasebiologyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verb🔗ShareTo draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit."The old leather of the baseball glove was contracting and wrinkling under the hot sun. "physiologyanatomybodyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verb🔗ShareTo betroth; to affiance."Long ago, families were often contracting their children to be married at a young age. "familytraditionChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareThe act of something that contracts or shrinks; contraction."the contractings of his muscles"physiologymedicinebodyprocessChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareWork done on a contract basis."Her steady income comes from contracting; she takes on project-based work for several different companies. "businessworkeconomyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
adjective🔗ShareGetting smaller; drawing itself together into a smaller area."The contracting spiral notebook was hard to use because the metal rings were bending inwards. "physicsscienceChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
