contingency

con·tin·gen·cy

Use contingency in a sentence

noun

Contingency means something that could happen or come up depending on other occurrences.
An example of a contingency is the unexpected need for a bandage on a hike.
The definition of a contingency is something that depends on something else in order to happen.
An example of contingency is a military strategy that can’t go forward until an earlier piece of the war plan is complete.

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"contingency." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Contingency>.

APA Style

contingency. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Contingency

contingency

noun

pl. -·cies

the quality or condition of being contingent; esp., dependence on chance or uncertain conditions
something whose occurrence depends on chance or uncertain conditions; a possible, unforeseen, or accidental occurrence: be prepared for any contingency
some thing or event which depends on or is incidental to another: the contingencies of war

Origin of contingency

see contingence

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MLA Style

"contingency." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Contingency>.

APA Style

contingency. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Contingency

contingency

noun

pl. con·tin·gen·cies

a. An event that may occur but that is not likely or intended; a possibility.
b. A possibility that must be prepared for; a future emergency.
The condition of being dependent on chance; uncertainty.
Something incidental to something else.

Related Forms:

con·tin′gen·cy
adjective

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"contingency." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Contingency>.

APA Style

contingency. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Contingency

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural contingencies)

(uncountable) The quality of being contingent, of happening by chance; unpredictability. [1560s]
(countable) A possibility; something which may or may not happen. A chance occurrence, especially in finance, unexpected expenses. [1610s]
(countable) An amount of money which a party to a contract has to pay to the other party (usually the supplier of a major project to the client) if he or she does not fulfill the contract according to the specification.
(logic, countable) A statement which is neither a tautology nor a contradiction.

Origin

contingent +‎ -cy (16th century).

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"contingency." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Contingency>.

APA Style

contingency. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Contingency

contingency - Legal Definition

n

A future event or circumstance whose occurrence is not certain.

contingency fee

A fee charged for a lawyer’s services in an action that is paid only if the client wins his or her lawsuit or receives a payment from an out-of-court settlement. Usually, the fee is a percentage of the amount recovered. Further-more, whatever the result of the action, the client will pay the court costs and the other out-of-pocket expenses (postage, subpoena fees, and so on) incurred by the lawyer during the course of the action. Although contingency fees are frequently charged for a lawyer’s services in a civil action, it is unethical to charge this way for services in a criminal action. Also called contingent fee. See also attorney’s fees and champerty.