Meaning of contract in English
Table of contents
Verb
contractDefinitions
1. enter into a contractual arrangementDerived terms
- 2. engage by written agreement
Examples
- « They signed two new pitchers for the next season »
Derived terms
- 3. squeeze or press together
Examples
- « she compressed her lips »
- « the spasm contracted the muscle »
Derived terms
- 4. become smaller or draw together
Examples
- « The fabric shrank »
- « The balloon shrank »
Antonyms
Derived terms
- 5. be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
Examples
- « He got AIDS »
- « She came down with pneumonia »
- « She took a chill »
Derived terms
- 6. make smaller
Examples
- « The heat contracted the woollen garment »
Derived terms
- 7. compress or concentrate
Examples
- « Congress condensed the three-year plan into a six-month plan »
Derived terms
- 8. make or become more narrow or restricted
Examples
- « The selection was narrowed »
- « The road narrowed »
Antonyms
Derived terms
- 9. reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
Examples
- « The manuscript must be shortened »
Antonyms
Derived terms
Noun
contractEtymology
Middle English: via Old French from Latin contractus, from contract-‘drawn together, tightened’, from the verb contrahere, from con-‘together’ + trahere‘draw’Definitions
1. a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by lawDerived terms
- 2. (contract bridge) the highest bid becomes the contract setting the number of tricks that the bidder must make
Derived terms
- 3. a variety of bridge in which the bidder receives points toward game only for the number of tricks he bid
Famous quotes
- « The universe never did make sense I suspect it was built on government contract. » Robert A. Heinlein
- « I think our relationship with Epic had run its natural course, and it happened to coincide with the fulfillment of our contract. We decided not to resign with them. » Mike McCready
- « If your goal is to be the biggest movie star in the world, a 10-movie contract is gold. It was never my goal. Up until now, I made movies - and I have a nice house, a nice car. I'm fortunate, happy and grateful. Life is good. » Chris Evans
- « Our combination of great research universities, a pro-risk business culture, deep pools of innovation-seeking equity capital and reliable business and contract law is unprecedented and unparalleled in the world. » Marc Andreessen
- « A good businessman never makes a contract unless he's sure he can carry it through, yet every fool on earth is perfectly willing to sign a marriage contract without considering whether he can live up to it or not. » Dalton Trumbo