contact

noun

con·tact | \ ˈkän-ˌtakt

Definition of contact

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : union or junction of surfaces Cooling begins when the lava makes contact with the air.

b : the apparent touching or mutual tangency of the limbs of two celestial bodies or of the disk of one body with the shadow of another during an eclipse, transit, or occultation

c(1) : the junction of two electrical conductors through which a current passes

(2) : a special part made for such a junction The camera's flash wasn't working because the electrical contacts needed to be cleaned.

2a : association, relationship students and teachers in daily contact

b : connection, communication I lost contact with her years ago.

c : an establishing of communication with someone or an observing or receiving of a significant signal from a person or object radar contact with Mars

3 : a person serving as a go-between, messenger, connection, or source of special information business contacts

4 : contact lens She wears contacts more often than glasses.

contact

verb

con·tact | \ ˈkän-ˌtakt

, kən-ˈtakt\

contacted; contacting; contacts

Definition of contact (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to make contact the point at which the two surfaces contact

transitive verb

1 : to bring into contact

2a : to enter or be in contact with : join The spark contacted the gunpowder.

b : to get in communication with Contact your local dealer.

contact

adjective

con·tact | \ ˈkän-ˌtakt

Definition of contact (Entry 3 of 3)

: maintaining, involving, or activated or caused by contact contact poisons contact sports contact dermatitis

Synonyms Is contact a verb?: Usage Guide More Example Sentences Learn More about contact

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Synonyms for contact

Synonyms: Noun

connection

Synonyms: Verb

address, communicate (with), get, reach

Examples of contact in a Sentence

Noun

Physical contact between a mother and child is very important. a disease that is spread by sexual contact Contacts between the two leaders have been frequent in recent weeks. I applied for a job at that law firm because I have a contact there.

Verb

For more information, contact the city's tourism office. We were able to contact them by radio. She contacted everyone on the list.

Adjective

Ice hockey is a contact sport.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

After entering all contact, shipping, and credit card info, that's that. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Instagram Just Added a New In-App Shopping Feature," 19 Mar. 2019 Evolutionary biologist Joanne Wright of Griffith University and her colleagues sequenced DNA from 10 Aboriginal Australians who lived before European contact, some as long as 1,540 years ago. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "DNA may reconnect Aboriginal Australian remains with modern communities," 27 Dec. 2018 Apparently, Alexa initiated a series of commands, including to record the conversation as a voice message and then to send it to a random contact, on its own, while the couple was completely unaware. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Amazon sent 1,700 Alexa voice recordings to the wrong user following data request," 20 Dec. 2018 The collection is available in Stella McCartney stores by private appointment (contact privateclientus@stellamccartney.com to schedule or book online) and through select retailers including Nordstrom. — Sally Holmes, Marie Claire, "Stella McCartney's New Bridal Collection Includes Meghan Markle's Wedding Dress," 13 Nov. 2018 Search already covers contacts, files, deliveries, and reservations (like flights), and will add calendar events in the coming months. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft upgrades Outlook Mobile, but restricting personal email may be one of the changes," 25 Sep. 2018 Tibbo said Hong Kong rejected Rodel’s asylum request and since then officials there have grilled her over her contacts with Snowden, who now lives in exile in Russia. — Rob Gillies, The Seattle Times, "Canada takes refugee who sheltered Snowden," 26 Mar. 2019 Who needs human contact when there's so much good stuff to watch? — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "12 TV Shows and Movies to Watch That Will Drastically Improve Your Week," 17 Mar. 2019 The next steps are to create more stability with smaller contact surfaces, like thinner tree branches. — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "Clever New Landing Gear Allow Drones To Set Down Like Birds or Bats," 13 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Utah State Parks Authorities then looked up the vehicle information and contacted Larsen's family, the news release said. — Gabby Ferreira, sacbee, "They found his sandals and car keys on the beach. It was days before they found his body," 11 July 2018 The place is listed at $649,000, and interested parties may contact Chris Smith at 504-231-2004. — Kaitlin Menza, House Beautiful, "Would You Live in This Converted Gas Station in New Orleans?," 1 Feb. 2019 Anyone who spots the kangaroo is urged to contact FWC at 888-404-3922. — Nicole Darrah, Fox News, "Kangaroo bolts from South Florida sanctuary, on the loose," 25 Sep. 2018 Any female students who attended Waukesha West High School in the spring of 2017 and who may have had lunch of class with Schwantes and wore dresses or skirts, are asked to contact Detective Mike Carpenter at 262-524-3923. — Serena Sonoma, Teen Vogue, "A Teen Allegedly Recorded Videos Up Girls' Skirts at School," 3 Aug. 2018 Investigators urge anyone with information about Salcito to contact Detective Michael Shiner at 561-243-7828 or by email at Shiner@mydelraybeach.com. — Tonya Alanez, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Woman found in Delray garden died violently, police say," 13 July 2018 Anyone with information is asked to contact Fife at 219-391-8326 or anonymously call 219-391-8500. — Becky Jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Man fatally shot in East Chicago alley, police say," 11 July 2018 In the meantime, whitehats can contact Helm security people at security@thehelm.com. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "Meet Helm, the startup taking on Gmail with a server that runs in your home," 17 Oct. 2018 Cable advised users who have lost data to contact Microsoft support at 1-800-MICROSOFT to try and recover the data. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft restarts Windows 10 October 2018 Update, blaming data loss on misdirected folders," 9 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Contact neighborhoods reporter Ruth Serven at ruth.serven@indystar.com. — Ruth Serven, Indianapolis Star, "Indy tightens rules to force landlords to clean up trashy houses, but realty agents say it won't matter," 10 July 2017 Sunday brunch from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Contact 847-549-1972 or www.austinssaloon.com. — Shonda Talerico Dudlicek, Lake County News-Sun, "Libertyville's Austin Saloon adapts with owners' life changes," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contact.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.