contracted

The word “contracted” means set up through a formal agreement. In plain terms, either bound by a contract, or shrunk/tightened.

“Contracted” is pronounced kuhn-TRAK-tihd (/kənˈtɹæktɪd/ in IPA).

Here is “contracted” used in a sentence: “The contracted cleaning staff arrive every evening at six.”

“Contracted” is an adjective.

“Contracted” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Contracted” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: set up through a formal agreement.

Contracted usually describes something arranged or agreed through a contract, as in contracted work, or the act of shrinking. Contractual describes anything relating to a contract or its terms, as in contractual obligations. In short, contracted often points to the result or action, while contractual refers to the nature of the terms.

In the sense of changing size, contracted means made smaller, shorter, or drawn together, while expanded means made larger or spread out. Muscles, metals, and markets can all be described as contracted when they shrink and expanded when they grow.

As a form of the verb contract, to have contracted an illness means to have caught or become infected with it, as in she contracted the flu. This use is unrelated to contracts or shrinking and simply means to fall ill with a particular disease.

In grammar, a contracted form is a word shortened by omitting sounds or letters and often joined with an apostrophe, such as don't for do not. Shortened is more general and includes abbreviations and clippings that need not use an apostrophe or combine two words.