contract
contract Lexical Profile
contract Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law; or the official document recording such an agreement.
"Both parties reviewed the terms carefully before signing the three-year employment contract."
In the card game of bridge, the highest bid of a hand, specifying the number of tricks the declarer's side undertakes to win and the trump suit (or no-trump).
"North and South reached a bold contract of six spades and managed to make every trick."
An informal arrangement or order for a hired assassin to kill a specified target for payment.
"In the crime thriller, the detective discovers that a rival syndicate had put out a contract on the witness."
• verb
To decrease in size, number, or range; or to cause something (such as a muscle, pupil, or metal) to draw together, tighten, or shrink.
"Most metals expand when heated and contract as they cool down."
To enter into a formal and legally binding agreement to perform work, supply goods, or undertake an obligation.
"The municipality contracted with a local engineering company to repair the historic bridge."
To catch or develop an illness or infectious disease; or to incur a financial debt or legal liability.
"Travelers are advised to take precautions so they do not contract malaria while visiting tropical regions."
To shorten a word or phrase by omitting internal letters or sounds and combining the remaining elements (such as turning "do not" into "don't").
"In everyday spoken English, speakers routinely contract auxiliary verbs with pronouns."
• adjective
Engaged, hired, or supplied under the terms of a formal agreement for a specified period or project rather than as a permanent employee.
"The firm hired several contract software engineers to help complete the database migration on schedule."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Contract" is an English heteronym whose pronunciation shifts with part of speech: the noun and adjective place the primary stress on the first syllable (KON-trakt), whereas the verb typically places the primary stress on the second syllable (kuhn-TRAKT), except in legal contexts meaning "to enter into a contract," where first-syllable stress is sometimes heard.
• Rhymes for contract
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 14th century from Old French "contract," from Latin "contractus" (a drawing together, bargain, or agreement), the past participle of "contrahere" (to draw together, tighten, or make a bargain), formed from "com-" (together) and "trahere" (to draw or pull).