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contract

n. · v.
US //ˈkɑnˌtɹækt// con·tract
  1. 1 legal agreement (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Law

    a formal, written agreement between people or companies that the law protects.

    a legally binding agreement between two or more parties, usually documented in writing and enforceable by law.

    Example

    Before you start the new job, you must sign your employment contract.

    Example

    The legal team spent several weeks reviewing the terms of the merger contract to ensure all intellectual property rights were protected.
  2. 2 hired killing (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Slang

    an informal word for an agreement to pay someone to kill another person.

    an arrangement or order given to a hired assassin to murder a specific target.

    Example

    In the movie, the villain puts out a contract on the hero.

    Example

    The detective suspected that the victim had been targeted by a professional hitman following a high-stakes contract.
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  1. 3 to become smaller (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Science

    to become shorter, tighter, or smaller.

    to undergo a reduction in size, volume, or length; often used of muscles or materials.

    Example

    Metals usually contract when they get cold and expand when they get hot.

    Example

    The heart muscle must contract and relax in a steady rhythm to pump blood effectively throughout the body.
  2. 4 to catch an illness (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Medicine

    to catch a disease or become ill.

    to acquire or become infected with a disease. Transitive; always takes the illness as a direct object.

    Example

    He contracted a rare virus while traveling through the jungle.

    Example

    Public health officials were concerned about how quickly the patients had contracted the infection within the hospital ward.
  3. 5 to shorten a word (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Computing

    to make a word shorter by leaving out some letters.

    to shorten a word or phrase by omitting internal letters, often replaced by an apostrophe in writing.

    Example

    In English, we often contract 'do not' to 'don't' when we speak.

    Example

    The author chose to contract several auxiliary verbs to make the dialogue sound more natural and less formal.
  4. 6 to hire via agreement (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

    to make a formal agreement to hire someone or do work.

    to enter into a formal or legally binding agreement to perform work or provide services.

    Example

    The city decided to contract a private company to clean the parks.

    Example

    The government intends to contract out the maintenance of the national highway system to reduce administrative overhead.
Etymology 1

From Middle English, from Old French contract, from Latin contractus (noun), from contrahere (“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”) [from con- (“with, together”) + trahere (“to draw, to pull”)] + -tus (suffix forming nouns from verbs).

Etymology 2

From Middle English, from Middle French contracter, from Latin contractum, past participle of contrahere (“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”), from con- (“with, together”) + trahere (“to draw, to pull”). The verb developed after the noun, and originally meant only "draw together"; the sense "make a contract with" developed later.

Word family

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