contracts

- 8 dictionary results

con⋅tract

[n., adj., and usually for v. 15–17, 21, 22 kon-trakt; otherwise v. kuh

n-trakt]

–noun

1.	an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified.

2.	an agreement enforceable by law.

3.	the written form of such an agreement.

4.	the division of law dealing with contracts.

5.	Also called contract bridge. a variety of bridge in which the side that wins the bid can earn toward game only that number of tricks named in the contract, additional points being credited above the line. Compare auction bridge.

(in auction or contract bridge)

a.	a commitment by the declarer and his or her partner to take six tricks plus the number specified by the final bid made.

b.	the final bid itself.

c.	the number of tricks so specified, plus six.

7.	the formal agreement of marriage; betrothal.

8.	Slang. an arrangement for a hired assassin to kill a specific person.

–adjective

9.	under contract; governed or arranged by special contract: a contract carrier.

–verb (used with object)

10.	to draw together or into smaller compass; draw the parts of together: to contract a muscle.

11.	to wrinkle: to contract the brows.

12.	to shorten (a word, phrase, etc.) by combining or omitting some of its elements: Contracting “do not” yields “don't.”

13.	to get or acquire, as by exposure to something contagious: to contract a disease.

14.	to incur, as a liability or obligation: to contract a debt.

15.	to settle or establish by agreement: to contract an alliance.

16.	to assign (a job, work, project, etc.) by contract: The publisher contracted the artwork.

17.	to enter into an agreement with: to contract a free-lancer to do the work.

18.	to enter into (friendship, acquaintance, etc.).

19.	to betroth.

–verb (used without object)

20.	to become drawn together or reduced in compass; become smaller; shrink: The pupils of his eyes contracted in the light.

21.	to enter into an agreement: to contract for snow removal.

—Verb phrase

22.	contract out, to hire an outside contractor to produce or do.

—Idiom

23.	put out a contract on, Slang. to hire or attempt to hire an assassin to kill (someone): The mob put out a contract on the informer.

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Origin:
1275–1325; (n.) ME (< AF) < L contractus undertaking a transaction, agreement, equiv. to contrac-, var. s. of contrahere to draw in, bring together, enter into an agreement (con- con- + trahere to drag, pull; cf. traction ) + -tus suffix of v. action; (v.) < L contractus, ptp. of contrahere

Related forms:

con⋅tract⋅ee, noun

con⋅tract⋅i⋅ble, adjective

con⋅tract⋅i⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, con⋅tract⋅i⋅ble⋅ness, noun

con⋅tract⋅i⋅bly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. See agreement. 10. reduce, shorten, lessen, narrow, shrivel, shrink. Contract, compress, concentrate, condense imply retaining original content but reducing the amount of space occupied. Contract means to cause to draw more closely together: to contract a muscle. Compress suggests fusing to become smaller by means of fairly uniform external pressure: to compress gases into liquid form. Concentrate implies causing to gather around a point: to concentrate troops near an objective; to concentrate one's strength. Condense implies increasing the compactness, or thickening the consistency of a homogeneous mass: to condense milk. It is also used to refer to the reducing in length of a book or the like.

Antonyms:
10. expand.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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con·tract (kŏn'trākt')

1. An agreement between two or more parties, especially one that is written and enforceable by law. See Synonyms at bargain.
2. The writing or document containing such an agreement.
3. The last and highest bid of a suit in one hand in bridge.
4. The number of tricks thus bid.
5. Contract bridge.
The branch of law dealing with formal agreements between parties.
Marriage as a formal agreement; betrothal.
Games
1. The last and highest bid of a suit in one hand in bridge.
2. The number of tricks thus bid.
3. Contract bridge.
A paid assignment to murder someone: put out a contract on the mobster's life.

v. (kən-trākt', kŏn'trākt') con·tract·ed, con·tract·ing, con·tracts

v. tr.

To enter into by contract; establish or settle by formal agreement: contract a marriage.
To acquire or incur: contract obligations; contract a serious illness.
1. To reduce in size by drawing together; shrink.
2. To pull together; wrinkle.
Grammar To shorten (a word or words) by omitting or combining some of the letters or sounds, as do not to don't.

v. intr.

To enter into or make an agreement: contract for garbage collection.
To become reduced in size by or as if by being drawn together: The pupils of the patient's eyes contracted.

Phrasal Verb(s):
contract outTo engage a person outside an organization by contract to undertake or produce.

[Middle English, from Latin contractus, past participle of contrahere, to draw together, make a contract : com-, com- + trahere, to draw.]
con·tract'i·bil'i·ty, con·tract'i·ble·ness n., con·tract'i·ble adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

contract

A legally binding agreement between two or more parties.

Word Origin & History

contract

c.1315, from L. contractus, pp. of contrahere "to draw together," metaphorically, "to make a bargain," from com- "together" + trahere "to draw" (see tract (1)). Noun came first, then verb and variant meaning "become narrowed, get smaller," especially of a withered limb (both 17c.). U.S. underworld slang sense of "arrangement to kill someone" first recorded 1940. Contractor in the modern sense is from 1724.

Financial Dictionary

contract

In futures trading, an agreement between two parties to make and take delivery of a specified commodity on a given date at a predetermined location.
In options trading, an agreement by the writer either to buy (if a put) or to sell (if a call) a given asset at a predetermined price until a certain date. The holder of the option is under no obligation to act.

Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ²contract
Function: transitive verb
1 : to undertake or establish by a contract
2 : to purchase (as goods or services) on a contract basis —often used with out intransitive verb : to make a contract

Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: con·tract
Pronunciation: k&n-'trakt also 'kän-"trakt
Function: transitive verb
1 : to become affected with<contract pneumonia>
2 : to reduce to smaller size by or as if by squeezing or drawing together <contract a muscle> contract intransitivesenses
: to draw together so as to become diminished in size; also : to shorten and broaden contracts in tetanus> —con·tract·ibil·i·ty /k&n-"trak-t&-'bil-&t-E, "kän-/ noun plural -ties
—con·tract·ible /k&n-'trak-t&-b&l, 'kän-"/ adjective

contract con·tract (kən-trākt', kŏn'trākt')
v. con·tract·ed, con·tract·ing, con·tracts

To reduce in size by drawing together.
To become reduced in size by or as if by being drawn together, as the pupil of the eye.
To acquire or incur by contagion or infection.

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