Definition of contingency
contingencies
1 : the quality or state of being contingent
2 : a contingent event or condition: such asa : an event (such as an emergency) that may but is not certain to occur trying to provide for every contingencyb : something liable to happen as an adjunct to or result of something else the contingencies of war
From the M-W Editors
Examples of contingency in a Sentence
Nothing was overlooked. There was a fallback position, a fail-safe provision, for any contingency. —Gary Wills, New York Times Review of Books, 1 Apr. 2001
It is difficult to distinguish all the legitimate and illegitimate kinds and uses of information. Writing laws to regulate all contingencies is like trying to capture broth in a colander. —George F. Will, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 1987
Was it merely the expression of her displeasure at Miss Bart's neglect, or had disquieting rumours reached her? The latter contingency seemed improbable, yet Lily was not without a sense of uneasiness. —Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905
In making our business plans, we tried to prepare for any contingency that might hurt sales.
agencies trying to provide for every contingency in a national emergency
Recent Examples of contingency from the Web
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The previous night, Cirene had spent two hours grilling her son on scenarios and questions, contingencies and advice.
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Sixty-five percent of the entire Hampton Roads economy is based around defense spending, where there’s need for new ship-building or the Navy itself, or the Air Force has a huge contingency at Langley.
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HSBC is also providing an additional 25 million-pound working capital facility and ENIC has put in a 50 million-pound contingency facility to ensure the project is fully funded through to completion.
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Hence slavery as debt bondage was characterized by considerable flexibility and contingency.
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To stand out, some buyers have resorted to waiving contingencies and inspections, and submitting a bigger portion of their offer in nonrefundable cash sums.
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Well - there is one more contingency, for the People Who Get Offended by Everything.
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Well – there is one more contingency, for the People Who Get Offended by Everything.
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Former Red Wing Kris Draper and former Maple Leaf Gary Roberts slashed and shoved each other for real ominous weather forecasts Monday led the NHL to devise contingency plans for the Winter Classic — the Blues’
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contingency'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of contingency
see 1contingent
First Known Use: 1561
Synonym Discussion of contingency
CONTINGENCY Defined for English Language Learners
contingency
playDefinition of contingency for English Language Learners
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: something (such as an emergency) that might happen
Law Dictionary
contingency
playLegal Definition of contingency
contingencies
1 : the quality or state of being contingent
2 : a contingent event or condition: as a : an event that may but is not certain to occur a contingency that made performance under the contract impossible b : something likely to come about as an adjunct to or result of something else; specifically : contingency fee at FEE 2 whether a case is on a contingency or billed at an hourly rate — D. R. Frederico
Learn More about contingency
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for contingency Spanish Central: Translation of contingency Nglish: Translation of contingency for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of contingency for Arabic speakers
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