noun
contract
KONT-rakt
noun
1
A written or spoken agreement, especially one intended to be enforceable by law.
"She signed a two-year contract with the new employer."
"The builders breached the contract by missing the deadline."
verb
1
To become smaller, tighter, or shorter.
"Metal contracts as it cools."
"Her pupils contracted in the bright sunlight."
2
To catch or develop an illness.
"He contracted malaria while traveling abroad."
3
To arrange for work to be done under a formal agreement.
"The council contracted a local firm to repair the roads."
How to Use Contract
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA formal agreement between parties, or, as a verb, to shrink — or to catch a disease.
Common mistake
Note the stress shift: as a noun it's CON-tract, but as a verb meaning "to shrink" or "agree" it's con-TRACT.
Common pairings
sign a contract
breach of contract
contract a disease
contract muscles
Word Forms
contracted past tense, contracts plural, contracts singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “contract”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She signed a two-year _____ with the new employer.
Etymology
From Old French contract, from Latin contractus, the noun from contrahere ("to draw together, to conclude a bargain") — from con- ("together") plus trahere ("to draw, pull").