Contraction definition
The shortening and thickening of a muscle for the purpose of exerting force on or causing movement of a body part.
(physiology) The shortening and thickening of functioning muscle or muscle fiber.
noun
The act of contracting or the state of being contracted.
noun
(physiology) The shortening and thickening of functioning muscle or muscle fiber.
noun
The shortening and thickening of a muscle fiber or a muscle in action, esp. of the uterus during labor.
noun
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A period of decreased business activity.
noun
A word, as won't from will not, or phrase, as o'clock from of the clock, formed by omitting or combining some of the sounds of a longer phrase.
noun
The formation of such a word.
noun
(econ.) A period of decrease in business activity.
noun
The shortening of a word or phrase by the omission of one or more sounds or letters.
noun
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A word form resulting from this (Ex.: she's for she is, aren't for are not)
noun
The shortening of a word or phrase by omitting letters or syllables. In the English language, a contraction generally, but not always, marks the omitted letters or syllables with an apostrophe or a period. Telco, for example, is a contraction of telephone company. Doesn't is a contraction of does not. Mr. is a contraction of mister, a title of courtesy for a man. Mrs. is a contraction of mistress, a title of courtesy for a married or widowed woman. Once upon a time, people used the title of courtesy Miss to denote a girl or unmarried woman.The feminist movement of the 1970s forced a change to Ms., which makes no distinction in a woman's marital status. Now we frequently delete such titles, altogether, leaving those who don't know the person to guess at both his or her gender and marital status, which is all quite silly, even if it is PC (politically correct). (Note: PC is an initialism.) See also initialism and portmanteau.
(medicine) A distinct stage of wound healing, wherein the wound edges are gradually pulled together.
noun
The act of contracting or the state of being contracted.
noun
A contracting or being contracted.
noun
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The definition of contraction is the lengthening or shortening of a muscle fiber or a word formed by combining the sounds of two longer words.
An example of a contraction is the action of the uterus during the birth process.
An example of a contraction is the word doesn't from does not.
noun
(medicine) A strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth.
noun
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(English orthography) A word with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe, usually resulting from the above process.
"Don't" is a contraction of "do not."
noun
The acquisition of something, generally negative.
Our contraction of debt in this quarter has reduced our ability to attract investors.
noun
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Other Word Forms
Noun
Singular:
contraction
Plural:
contractionsOrigin of contraction
- From Old French contraction, from Latin contractiō.
From Wiktionary