[ noun,adjective,and usually for verb15-17, 21, 22kon-trakt; otherwise verb kuhn-trakt ]
/ noun,adjective,and usually for verb15-17, 21, 22 ˈkɒn trækt; otherwise verb kənˈtrækt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR contract ON THESAURUS.COM
noun
an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified.
an agreement enforceable by law.
the written form of such an agreement.
the division of law dealing with contracts.
Also called contract bridge . a variety of bridge in which the side that wins the bid can earn toward game only that number of tricks named in the contract, additional points being credited above the line.Compare auction bridge.
(in auction or contract bridge)
a commitment by the declarer and his or her partner to take six tricks plus the number specified by the final bid made.
the final bid itself.
the number of tricks so specified, plus six.
the formal agreement of marriage; betrothal.
Slang. an arrangement for a hired assassin to kill a specific person.
adjective
under contract; governed or arranged by special contract: a contract carrier.
verb (used with object)
to draw together or into smaller compass; draw the parts of together: to contract a muscle.
to wrinkle: to contract the brows.
to shorten (a word, phrase, etc.) by combining or omitting some of its elements: Contracting “do not” yields “don't.”
to get or acquire, as by exposure to something contagious: to contract a disease.
to incur, as a liability or obligation: to contract a debt.
to settle or establish by agreement: to contract an alliance.
to assign (a job, work, project, etc.) by contract: The publisher contracted the artwork.
to enter into an agreement with: to contract a free-lancer to do the work.
to enter into (friendship, acquaintance, etc.).
to betroth.
verb (used without object)
to become drawn together or reduced in compass; become smaller; shrink: The pupils of his eyes contracted in the light.
to enter into an agreement: to contract for snow removal.
Verb Phrases
contract out,to hire an outside contractor to produce or do.
Idioms for contract
put out a contract on, Slang. to hire or attempt to hire an assassin to kill (someone): The mob put out a contract on the informer.
Origin of contract
1275–1325; (noun) Middle English (<Anglo-French ) <Latin contractus undertaking a transaction, agreement, equivalent to contrac-, variant stem of contrahere to draw in, bring together, enter into an agreement (con-con- + trahere to drag, pull; cf. traction) + -tus suffix of v. action; (v.) <Latin contractus, past participle of contrahere
1. See agreement. 10. Contract,compress,concentrate,condense imply retaining original content but reducing the amount of space occupied. Contract means to cause to draw more closely together: to contract a muscle.Compress suggests fusing to become smaller by means of fairly uniform external pressure: to compress gases into liquid form.Concentrate implies causing to gather around a point: to concentrate troops near an objective; to concentrate one's strength.Condense implies increasing the compactness, or thickening the consistency of a homogeneous mass: to condense milk. It is also used to refer to the reducing in length of a book or the like.
When that contract expired, the Secret Service signed another for 16 more nights, until April 15, according to copies of the contracts released by the Secret Service.
Trump’s businesses charged Secret Service more than $1.1 million, including for rooms in club shuttered for pandemic|David Fahrenthold, Josh Dawsey|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
From revised search warrant protocols to contracting social workers, the policy changes are a start but could go much further.
The policing reforms in the Breonna Taylor settlement, explained|Fabiola Cineas|September 17, 2020|Vox
They don’t have a ton of room to maneuver, either, with the contracts they’re still on the hook for.
Reading The Right Amount Into The NFL’s Week 1|Sarah Shachat|September 15, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The relatively small Air Force contracts aren’t for the actual delivery of a finished supersonic aircraft.
Air Force transport jets for VIPs could have a supersonic future|Rob Verger|September 10, 2020|Popular Science
This is a questionable claim, because EU privacy law allows data transfers to anywhere as long as they are “necessary” to fulfill the contract between the user and provider—and the processing of emails is pretty fundamental for an email service.
Time is running out for Big Tech’s monetization of Europeans’ personal data|David Meyer|September 10, 2020|Fortune
Michigan supposedly offered 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh a $42 million contract, which would him the highest-paid coach in the NCAA.
Is Any College Football Coach Worth $60 Million? Jim Harbaugh Is|Jesse Lawrence|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A 1907 contract leases the plot of land to the Belgika corporation for five years, but it stayed for much longer.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Senate Intelligence Committee report says they secured a contract with the CIA in 2006 valued “in excess of $180 million.”
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built|Michael Daly|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I knew only that the hit was commissioned; the man who took the contract was a specialist.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, Marino promises “radical changes” and vows to check every contract the city has—to see if they are valid.
The Mayor Who Took Down the Mafia That Ruined Rome|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Something like a smile attempted to contract the Indian's features; but the attempt was not a happy one, and stopped at a grimace.
The Gold-Seekers|Gustave Aimard
He unfolded the sheet and scanned the charges—coercion, larceny, livestock theft, and breach of contract.
The Lani People|J. F. Bone
What a fool I had been not to have actually made the removal of them a sine qua non before I signed the contract!
Man and Maid|Elinor Glyn
In 1900 the contract schools were practically abandoned and the Indian appropriation devoted to government schools altogether.
The Chinese element was brought over by contract for working on sugar plantations.
Industrial Cuba|Robert P. Porter
British Dictionary definitions for contract
contract
verb (kənˈtrækt)
to make or become smaller, narrower, shorter, etcmetals contract as the temperature is reduced
(ˈkɒntrækt) (when intr, sometimes foll by for; when tr, may take an infinitive) to enter into an agreement with (a person, company, etc) to deliver (goods or services) or to do (something) on mutually agreed and binding terms, often in writing
to draw or be drawn together; coalesce or cause to coalesce
(tr)to acquire, incur, or become affected by (a disease, liability, debt, etc)
(tr)to shorten (a word or phrase) by the omission of letters or syllables, usually indicated in writing by an apostrophe
phoneticsto unite (two vowels) or (of two vowels) to be united within a word or at a word boundary so that a new long vowel or diphthong is formed
(tr)to wrinkle or draw together (the brow or a muscle)
(tr)to arrange (a marriage) for; betroth
noun (ˈkɒntrækt)
a formal agreement between two or more parties
a document that states the terms of such an agreement
the branch of law treating of contracts
marriage considered as a formal agreement
See contract bridge
bridge
(in the bidding sequence before play) the highest bid, which determines trumps and the number of tricks one side must try to make
the number and suit of these tricks
slang
a criminal agreement to kill a particular person in return for an agreed sum of money
(as modifier)a contract killing
Derived forms of contract
contractible, adjectivecontractibly, adverb
Word Origin for contract
C16: from Latin contractus agreement, something drawn up, from contrahere to draw together, from trahere to draw