Meaning of contract in English

Verb
contract
Definitions
1. enter into a contractual arrangement
2. engage by written agreement
Examples
- « They signed two new pitchers for the next season »
3. squeeze or press together
Examples
- « she compressed her lips »
- « the spasm contracted the muscle »
4. become smaller or draw together
Examples
- « The fabric shrank »
- « The balloon shrank »
Antonyms
5. be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
Examples
- « He got AIDS »
- « She came down with pneumonia »
- « She took a chill »
6. make smaller
Examples
- « The heat contracted the woollen garment »
7. compress or concentrate
Examples
- « Congress condensed the three-year plan into a six-month plan »
8. make or become more narrow or restricted
Examples
- « The selection was narrowed »
- « The road narrowed »
Antonyms
- widen
9. reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
Examples
- « The manuscript must be shortened »
Antonyms
Noun
contract
Etymology
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 law
2. (contract bridge) the highest bid becomes the contract setting the number of tricks that the bidder must make
3. a variety of bridge in which the bidder receives points toward game only for the number of tricks he bid

Pronunciation