contactless

adjective

con·​tact·​less ˈkän-ˌtakt-ləs 

: not involving contact: such as

a

: not requiring touching or interaction between people

contactless meal delivery

… many retailers and restaurants have rolled out home delivery along with contactless options, leaving food orders and grocery deliveries on door steps.

—Dawson White

b

: relating to or being a technological system (as for making payments) where information is transmitted over short distances (as by near field communication) without physical contact

… hold your phone in front of the contactless payment scanner to authorize the purchase.

—Robert Patrick

Contactless payment cards are not in wide circulation. Instead, consumers are increasingly making electronic payments with their cellular phones …

—Chad Bray and Reuben Kyama

Examples of contactless in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At Walt Disney World in Orlando free buses from the airport to its on-site hotels ground to a halt along with contactless room keys which came in the form of collectable wristbands. —Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

The Milwaukee Public Library has 14 branch locations, one of which is a drive up location where contactless materials pickup and returns are available. —Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Only full adult fares can be purchased with the contactless credit cards. —Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2025

With the rise of technology, however, more businesses around the country are refusing cash payments in favor of contactless methods. —Evan Moore august 19, Charlotte Observer, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for contactless

• abs
• acquiesce
• ancestress
• authoress
• coalesce
• decompress
• dispossess
• faithfulness
• letterpress
• mayoress
• murderess
• nonetheless