as in squeezed
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1
as in got
to become affected with (a disease or disorder)
before vaccines were invented, people lived in fear of contracting polio
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in compressed
to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter
metal contracts at low temperatures
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in condensed
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in agreed
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
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Recent Examples of contracted
Brendan O'Connor, Curbed, 24 Feb. 2026
The board contracted an investment compensation consultant to review salary data and provide recommendations to the board.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Most of the 16 companies that have signed drug pricing deals with the White House have contracted with one of the firms.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 23 Feb. 2026
The man who died was living in the Treasure Valley, said Laura Scuri, who had contracted with the state to run the Boise chapter of the program, in an email to the Idaho Statesman.
—Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 20 Feb. 2026
Sporting the orange ‘JP1’ Puma gloves worn by his namesake, George Pickford is even contracted to the same club as England No 1 Jordan, with the pair part of the same goalkeeping cohort at Everton’s Finch Farm training base.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, after Chicago Public Schools parted ways with the outside firm contracted to help find its next superintendent — which Johnson opponents on the school board claimed was the result of mayoral interference — Johnson Wednesday said the time is now to forge ahead with the search process.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Around 7 million commercial birds contracted the highly contagious flu that spring.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 18 Feb. 2026
In other words, the insurer has not contracted with specific doctors and hospitals to accept their coverage.
—Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
Pen-Link, the parent company of Cobwebs America — an Israeli firm that was contracted to monitor protestors in Portland in 2020 and was acquired by Americans in 2023 — did not respond to a request for comment.
—Brendan O'Connor, Curbed, 24 Feb. 2026
The board contracted an investment compensation consultant to review salary data and provide recommendations to the board.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Most of the 16 companies that have signed drug pricing deals with the White House have contracted with one of the firms.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 23 Feb. 2026
The man who died was living in the Treasure Valley, said Laura Scuri, who had contracted with the state to run the Boise chapter of the program, in an email to the Idaho Statesman.
—Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 20 Feb. 2026
Sporting the orange ‘JP1’ Puma gloves worn by his namesake, George Pickford is even contracted to the same club as England No 1 Jordan, with the pair part of the same goalkeeping cohort at Everton’s Finch Farm training base.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, after Chicago Public Schools parted ways with the outside firm contracted to help find its next superintendent — which Johnson opponents on the school board claimed was the result of mayoral interference — Johnson Wednesday said the time is now to forge ahead with the search process.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Around 7 million commercial birds contracted the highly contagious flu that spring.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 18 Feb. 2026
In other words, the insurer has not contracted with specific doctors and hospitals to accept their coverage.
—Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracted
Verb
-
The fans never got an opportunity to give a grateful goodbye, Pat Riley resigning on an early summer afternoon 36 years ago after the end of a lost season.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
In 2025, a pair of early close calls got him into the rest of the year’s signature events.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Homeowners may need to make that request even before the property is sold and the timeline for filing a claim can be compressed.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Whereas previous technological leaps forward were measured in decades, with agentic AI, automation, quantum computing, and humanoid robotics, the adaptation time has been compressed to months.—
Martin Whittaker,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Small businesses and farmers got squeezed.—
Justin Papp,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Vendors built on per-seat licensing and static tools are seeing their economics squeezed as AI systems compress development timelines and reduce maintenance overhead.—
David Stout,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Air Force and men’s basketball head coach Joe Scott have agreed to part ways, the academy announced Friday.—
Tobias Bass,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Empty shotgun shell casings were found in the home, and the defense and prosecution already agreed the likely murder weapon was the missing shotgun from the home.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The good boy's sprint was caught by the photo finish camera.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The body camera footage has caught social media's attention since being released, with clips from the video circulating on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X, garnering thousands of views.—
Ryan Hansen,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But the goods deficit with Canada shrank by 26% to $46 billion.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
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Since its founding, the Northfield Allotments have shrunk to a few acres, land siphoned off over the years by developers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Boublil and Schonberg have condensed a novel of over 1,000 pages into a three-hour musical, so a brisk pace is needed to give audiences the gist of the story.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Our conversation has been edited and condensed.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In its 2025 report, Lazard, a financial advisory firm, estimated that the cost to build, operate, fuel and maintain a plant has decreased by 55% for wind and 84% for solar since 2009.—
Suhail Bhat,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Over the past few years, profits have decreased.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contracted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contracted. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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