CONTRACTING Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

contracting 1 of 2

noun

as in squeezing

the act or process of reducing the size or volume of something by or as if by pressing the contracting of the time frame for the primaries tends to favor candidates who are already well-known

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contracting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of contract

as in getting

to become affected with (a disease or disorder) before vaccines were invented, people lived in fear of contracting polio

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as in shrinking

to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter metal contracts at low temperatures

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as in compressing

to reduce in size or volume by or as if by pressing parts or members together contract the calf muscles in your legs

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as in bargaining

to come to an arrangement as to a course of action the farmer contracted for delivery of the hay by the first of July

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of contracting

Noun

There’s a dusty cloud surrounding the central, contracting star, and that cloud is strongly suspected to be disk-like, with outflows and gaps in the dust in the two directions perpendicular to the disk. —

Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026 Founded in 2015 by Cecilia Casagrande, the firm specializes in historic home design and renovations and offers general contracting and design-build services. —

Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 10 Feb. 2026 Years of disinvestment, inconsistent arts funding and bureaucratic contracting delays have hollowed out the robust infrastructure that allows these artists to educate fellow New Yorkers. —

Kimberly Olsen, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026 Meister and Tracey Repa were both County Clerk’s Office employees who alleged they were fired by then-Clerk Robin O’Connor after meeting with the Sheriff’s Office to share allegations of improprieties in government contracting related to a courthouse expansion project. —

Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026 Players Era has employed multiple contracting structures for its two-year-old event. —

Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 9 Feb. 2026 As the commission discussed participation and contracting requirements, Martin said artists do not need city vendor registration or other compliance steps just to apply, noting those requirements come later if an artist is awarded a contract. —

Kansas City Star, 6 Feb. 2026 Lange, an East Lansing lawyer, served as director of DTMB, which handles state contracting, real estate, information technology and the state budget, since 2023, and as either acting director or chief deputy director since 2021, according to her LinkedIn profile. —

Paul Egan, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026 Public Health staff warned that anyone at the restaurant on that date and time may be at risk of contracting measles 7-21 days after exposure. —

Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026

Verb

The good news is that syphilis can be treated, and treatment before or during pregnancy can decrease the likelihood of your baby contracting syphilis from you. —

wendy Wisner, Parents, 4 Feb. 2026 Others at higher risk of contracting the disease include babies and young children. —

Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026 The net effect will be a flat-to-contracting market combined with changing delivery economics. —

Peter Bendor-Samuel, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 The singer was recently hospitalized after contracting pneumonia and experiencing heart pain earlier this month, per Daily Mail, and on Sunday, Ray J shared on social media where his health stands. —

Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026 Shoveling involves contracting muscles without movement in the surrounding joints, putting strain on the heart. —

Manahil Ahmad, The Providence Journal, 25 Jan. 2026 Notably, there are questions about Starship’s lunar lander development timeline, which has prompted NASA to consider contracting another company for the job. —

Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026 Coon said she was checked out by a physician and while her vocal cords were fine, her throat was visibly contracting. —

Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2026 Rather than contracting with Evergy or another regional provider, the data company plans to open an entirely new power plant to generate electricity for the Nebius campus. —

Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 14 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracting

Noun

Hassan’s team instead squeezed a photon’s intensity and demonstrated real-time control, fluctuating between intensity and phase-squeezing by adjusting the silica’s position relative to the beams.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025

Definition of squeezing