noun🔗ShareContraction, rétrécissementA reversible reduction in size."During the cold weather, the metal bridge experienced noticeable contractions in its length. "Pendant le froid, le pont métallique a subi des contractions notables de sa longueur.physiologymedicinebodyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareRécession, contraction économiqueA period of economic decline or negative growth."The company announced layoffs due to recent economic contractions. "L'entreprise a annoncé des licenciements en raison des récentes contractions économiques.economybusinessChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareContractionA shortening of a muscle when it is used."The athlete's leg muscles experienced rapid contractions during the sprint. "Les muscles des jambes de l'athlète ont subi des contractions rapides pendant le sprint.physiologybodymedicineanatomyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareContractionsA strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth."Maria started timing her contractions when she felt a tightening in her belly. "Maria a commencé à chronométrer ses contractions lorsqu'elle a senti un resserrement dans son ventre.medicinephysiologybodyhumanChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareContraction, réductionA process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme (a word) are lost or reduced, such that it becomes a bound morpheme (a clitic) that attaches phonologically to an adjacent word."English contractions like "can't" and "won't" are common in everyday speech. "Les contractions anglaises comme « can't » et « won't » sont courantes dans la langue parlée.languagelinguisticsgrammarphoneticswordChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareContraction(English orthography) A word with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe, usually resulting from the above process."The teacher asked us to write down five common contractions, like "can't" and "won't." "Le professeur nous a demandé d'écrire cinq contractions courantes, comme « can't » et « won't ».grammarlanguagewritingwordlinguisticsChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareContraction, abréviationA shorthand symbol indicating an omission for the purpose of brevity."Teachers often mark down student essays that use too many contractions like "can't" and "won't." "Les professeurs notent souvent les copies d'élèves qui utilisent trop de contractions comme « can't » et « won't ».grammarlinguisticswordChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareContamination, infectionThe process of contracting a disease."the contraction of malaria"la contamination par le paludismediseasemedicineChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareSyncope, élisionSyncope, the loss of sounds from within a word."The teacher explained that "isn't" and "won't" are common examples of contractions, where sounds are omitted to shorten the word. "Le professeur a expliqué que « n'est pas » et « ne veut pas » sont des exemples courants d'élision, où des sons sont omis pour raccourcir le mot.grammarlinguisticsphoneticswordChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareAcquisitionThe acquisition of something, generally negative."Our contraction of debt in this quarter has reduced our ability to attract investors."Notre acquisition de dettes au cours de ce trimestre a réduit notre capacité à attirer des investisseurs.negativebusinesseconomyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareContractionA distinct stage of wound healing, wherein the wound edges are gradually pulled together."The doctor explained that the visible contractions of the skin around my cut were a sign that it was healing well. "Le médecin a expliqué que les contractions visibles de la peau autour de ma coupure étaient un signe de bonne guérison.medicinephysiologyanatomybodyprocessChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading