ENGLISH
REFERENCE

contract out of

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford

phr. v.. to sign an agreement that says you will not be part of a specific system or rule.

phr. v.. to formally agree that a particular legal obligation, scheme, or statutory provision will not apply to oneself or one's organization.


SIMPLE

You can contract out of the state pension scheme.

CONTEXTUAL

Employees were given the option to contract out of the new health insurance plan if they already had private coverage.

COMPLEX

The legal team advised the corporation to contract out of certain liability clauses to mitigate potential financial exposure during the merger.

Particles
out of
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
contract + out + of + object
Usage

usually used in legal, financial, or employment contexts followed by a specific scheme or obligation.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'opt out of', which is more general and less formal; 'contract out of' implies a formal, legally binding agreement.

Pitfall

They contracted out the agreement.They contracted out of the agreement.without 'of', 'contract out' means to hire an outside firm to do work; 'contract out of' means to exempt oneself from a rule.

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