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contract definition

con·tract (käntrakt′for n. & usually for vt.1 & vi.1; kən traktfor v.generally)

noun

  1. an agreement between two or more people to do something, esp. one formally set forth in writing and enforceable by law; compact; covenant
  2. a formal agreement of marriage or betrothal
  3. a document containing the terms of a contract
  4. the branch of law having to do with contracts
  5. Informal an assignment to murder someone for pay
  6. Bridge
    1. the highest bid in an auction
    2. the number of tricks, and the suit or no-trump preference, stated in such a bid
    3. contract bridge

Etymology: OFr < L contractus, pp. of contrahere, to draw together, make a bargain < com-, together + trahere, to draw

transitive verb

    1. to enter upon, or undertake, by contract
    2. to hire (a person, business, etc.) to perform under contract we contracted him to fix the roof
  1. to get, acquire, or incur to contract a disease, a debt, etc.
    1. to reduce in size; draw together; narrow; shrink; shorten cold contracts metals
    2. to draw (the brow or brows) together; knit
  2. to narrow in scope; restrict
  3. Rare to betroth
  4. Gram. to shorten (a word or phrase) by the omission of a letter or sound, as in I'm, e'er, can't

intransitive verb

  1. to make a contract; agree formally to contract for a new car
  2. to become reduced in size or bulk; draw together; shrink; narrow; shorten

Related Forms:

contract Idioms

contract out

  1. to assign (a job) by contract; specif., to subcontract
  2. Chiefly Brit. to withdraw from a contract or agreement

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
contract Synonyms

contract

n.

agreement, legal agreement, covenant, compact, stipulation, contractual statement, contractual obligation, convention, understanding, promise, pledge, engagement, obligation, guarantee, liability, concordat, entente cordiale (French), settlement, arrangement, deal, gentleman's agreement, commitment, cartel, bargain, pact, lease, indenture, mise, the papers*; see also agreement 3, record 1, treaty.


contract

v.

  1. To diminish

    shrink, condense, constrict, draw in, draw back, shrivel, weaken, be reduced in compass, become smaller, be drawn together, deflate, decline, fall away, abate, subside, grow less, ebb, wane, wrinkle, knit, lessen, lose, dwindle, consume, recede, fall off, wither, waste, evaporate; see also decrease 1.

    Antonyms stretch*, expand*, strengthen. *

  2. To cause to diminish

    compress, condense, abbreviate, abridge, epitomize, edit, omit, narrow, confine; see also compress, decrease 2.

  3. To enter into an agreement by contract

    covenant, pact, pledge, promise, undertake, come to terms, adjust, negotiate, negotiate a contract, bargain, strike a bargain, agree, settle, limit, bound, reach an agreement, reach an understanding, settle by covenant, engage, stipulate, consent, enter into a contractual obligation, sign the papers, accept an offer, obligate oneself, work out the details, put something in writing, swear to, sign for, assent, give one's word, initial, close, shake hands on it*, get together*; see also negotiate 1, promise 1.

  4. To catch; said of diseases

    get, incur, become infected with; see catch 4.

  5. To become obligated by; said especially of debts

    become indebted, take on, obligate oneself; see owe.

contract implies a drawing together of surface or parts and a resultant decrease in size, bulk, or extent cold contracts metals; to shrink is to contract so as to be short of the original or normal length, amount, extent, etc. those shirts have shrunk; shrinking profits; condense suggests reduction of something into a more compact or more dense form without loss of essential content condensed milk; to compress is to press or squeeze into a more compact, orderly form a lifetime's work compressed into one volume; deflate implies a reduction in size or bulk by the removal of air, gas, or in extended use, anything insubstantial to deflate a balloon, to deflate one's ego


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

contract Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • employment: However, whether or not you will be paid will depend on your contract of employment.

Converse of object

  • sign: We signed the contracts, we should honor them in full!

Adjective modifier

  • fixed: A supplier had a large order book of fixed price contracts.

Modifies a noun

  • negotiation: These could include an end to centralized contract negotiations, a key feature of recent NHS history.

Noun used with modifier

  • fixed-term: Are there any procedures to support research staff approaching the end of fixed-term contracts?
contract usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

contract quotes

Society is indeed a contract†it becomes a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.

-Burke, Edmund

Averbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.

-Goldwyn, Sam(uel) originally  Schmuel Gelbfisz

Baseball is a Lockean game, a kind of contract theory in ritual form, a set of atomic individuals who assent to patterns of limited co-operation in their mutual interest.

-Novak, Michael

contract quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"contract." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/contract>

APA Style

contract. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/contract

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