English Explanatory Dictionary

contract

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
  2. An agreement which the law will enforce in some way. A legally binding contract must contain at least one promise, i.e., a commitment or offer, by an offeror to and accepted by an offeree to do something in the future. A contract is thus executory rather than executed.
  3. The document containing such an agreement.
  4. A part of legal studies dealing with laws and jurisdiction related to contracts.
  5. An order, usually given to a hired assassin, to kill someone.
  6. The declarer's undertaking to win the number of tricks bid with a stated suit as trump.
adj
  1. Contracted; affianced; betrothed.
  2. Not abstract; concrete.
verb
  1. To draw together or nearer; to shorten, narrow, or lessen.
  2. To shorten by omitting a letter or letters or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one.
  3. To make an agreement or contract; to covenant.
  4. To enter into a contract with (someone or something).
  5. To enter into (an agreement) with mutual obligations; to make (an arrangement).
  6. To bring on; to incur; to acquire.
  7. To gain or acquire (an illness).
  8. To draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit.
  9. To betroth; to affiance.

Pronunciation

kŏn'trăkt /ˈkɒntɹækt/ /ˈkɑntɹækt/ en-us-contract-noun.ogg En-uk-contract.ogg en-uk-contract (noun).ogg kəntrăkt /kənˈtɹækt/ en-us-contract-verb2.ogg en-uk-contract (verb).ogg

Word forms

contract contracts contracting contracted

Etymology

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).

Synonyms

compact pact contract law abate decrease lessen reduce shorten shrink catch get

Antonyms

increase expand grow lengthen

Derived words

adhesion contract breach of contract contract agent contractarianism contract awarding contract bridge contract cheating contract curve contractee contract killer contract killing contractless contractocracy contract of employment contract of sale contract out contract packing contract period contract programming contract system contract time contractual contraktnik deposit contract design by contract e-contract employment contract fixed-term contract forward contract freedom of contract future contract futures contract hypercontract insurance contract nominate contract noncontract open-book contract open-ended contract permanent contract pink contract precontract prime contract programming by contract quasi-contract requirements contract retirement annuity contract smart contract social contract specific contract subcontract supercontract sweetheart contract unilateral contract will contract yellow dog contract zero-hour contract zero-hours contract contractability contractable contractible
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