1
as in deal
a formal agreement to fulfill an obligation
accused her of breaking their contract by not completing the decorating job on budget
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in agreement
an arrangement about action to be taken
a contract outlining what needed to be done by each person
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to get
to become affected with (a disease or disorder)
before vaccines were invented, people lived in fear of contracting polio
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shrink
to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter
metal contracts at low temperatures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to compress
to reduce in size or volume by or as if by pressing parts or members together
contract the calf muscles in your legs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to bargain
to come to an arrangement as to a course of action
the farmer contracted for delivery of the hay by the first of July
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of contract
Allbusiness, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed 2026 first-round draft pick Max Iheanachor to a four-year contract, the team announced on Friday.
—Garrett Behanna, CBS News, 16 May 2026
ABC News, 16 May 2026
Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen.
—Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for contract
Noun
Legal departments also use it for contract review against standard terms, analyzing negotiation language, processing large document sets for relevant arguments, and supporting intellectual property monitoring.
—Allbusiness, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed 2026 first-round draft pick Max Iheanachor to a four-year contract, the team announced on Friday.
—Garrett Behanna, CBS News, 16 May 2026
Verb
Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen.
—ABC News, 16 May 2026
Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen.
—Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for contract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contract
Noun
-
The Iran nuclear deal, a 2015 accord reached under President Barack Obama, had placed limitations on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.—
Brooke Migdon,
PEOPLE,
20 May 2026
-
With deals up to 72 percent off, best-selling pieces surely won’t stay in stock long, so shop now before your soon-to-be new favorite travel outfit sells out.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire struck in mid-April could end if Iran did not strike a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement.—
Michelle L. Price,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
-
This year, however, the band members were clearly in agreement about hitting the road to celebrate Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, albeit in much larger venues than the ones Corgan played on his own.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The area North Cornwall has plenty of fancy restaurants, but Prawn on the Lawn in Padstow gets the balance right between sophisticated seafood and laidback service.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
In a market flooded with AI tools that look similar on the surface, clarity about the actual job to be done is the fastest way to shrink a long list of candidates to a short one.—
Eilon Reshef,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Her strike zone shrank and pitchers treated the heart of it like live ammunition.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But the window that Pawlikowski chooses for Fatherland is defiantly compact, a stretch of time that the director compresses even more to place the suicide of Erika’s brother Klaus, which happened in the south of France two months before, within the space of the trip.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
Anything that compresses operating margin compresses the cash flow bondholders are lending against.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
A lot of the provisions specifically mention that the two sides will agree to bargain again later, and Rodriguez says having a procedure for future talks as the use cases evolve is key.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
-
The middle class was built by strong labor standards and the ability of workers to bargain collectively.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
There’s no guarantee a baby will book anything, especially as the industry continues to contract.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
14 May 2026
-
Iranian officials have also asked for their flag and anthem to be respected, and for security guarantees at airports, hotels and stadiums.—
Khaled Wassef,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Washington and Tehran announced a ceasefire last month but have been struggling to thrash out a permanent peace pact.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
-
Over at the Cannes Market, the biggest deal so far is Amazon’s $70M pact with Miramax for Supermax, an action-thriller starring Will Smith.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contract. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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