contracted 1 of 2

contracted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of contract
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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 contracted
Verb
Stores everywhere suffer from shortages, and the economy has contracted. — Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026 North of 20,000 workers contracted by the county — and thousands more contracted by local governments across Florida — might soon see their salaries slashed. — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026 More colloquially, care homes, or sometimes old people’s homes, contracted by the public payer, Poland’s National Health Fund. — Alicja Turczyk, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026 The official purchasing managers’ index indicated that manufacturing activity contracted for two consecutive months in July and August. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026 Once sprawling from Twenty-third to Thirty-fourth Street, the neighborhood has contracted to a single block on Twenty-eighth Street—but has lost none of its charm. — Françoise Mouly, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 The utilities, financial and consumer discretionary sectors have all contracted. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026 Warners soon contracted Jordan to write a sequel, The Vampire Lestat, based on Rice’s second installment in her The Vampire Chronicles series. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026 In addition to SpaceX’s own eagerness to begin launching the Starlink V3 megaconstellation, NASA has also contracted the vehicle as a lunar lander for the Artemis program. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracted
Adjective
  • Digging into the character was all the more challenging for both Pitt and Ayer given the compressed pre-production schedule and swift shoot, which required them to hit the ground running.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Meantime, semiconductor stocks and most of the mega-cap tech platforms were convalescing as AI-overspending fears eroded investor conviction and compressed valuations.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In recent decades, the yardstick got a boost via exceptionally low real rates.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Joe and Nathan’s doomed bromance started off tense, got better over time, and worsened again once Joe found another bro to romance with.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Officials hope to repopulate vulnerable species Giant pandas once roamed vast swaths of China, northern Myanmar and Vietnam, but their habitats shrank due to human encroachment and climate change.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
  • While the project’s overall footprint shrunk in size, Commissioners Chad Martin and John Shultz voted against the project.
    — Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • So they're getting pushed really, really, really hard, getting squeezed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The combination of tariffs, material prices and currencies have squeezed margins for Swiss watchmakers.
    — Robert Frank, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The five networks then agreed not to replace CNN with another network, so there were no pool cameras following Trump on Saturday during his trip to a college football game.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Stan Kroenke agreed to buy a controlling stake in the Los Angeles Angels at a record $4 billion valuation—a price that held despite a decade of losing seasons.
    — Chris Koras, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The play is essentially a condensed version of Jaku’s memoir, but there’s one big difference.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • While cake is cooling, whisk together cold water, sweetened condensed milk, and pudding mix in a large bowl until smooth.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 13 July 2026
Verb
  • All five men who were arrested after authorities said they were caught approaching the base in three vans shortly after midnight Sunday have been released on bail but remain under investigation.
    — Greg Miller, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Mosley, who caught 13 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns in his first three collegiate games, has missed USC’s past two games.
    — Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Rooms Since its 2023 renovation, the hotel’s capacity decreased from 104 rooms to just 80, made up of 44 rooms and 36 suites, all of which have gained a generous amount of space.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The results revealed that the device’s electrical behavior changed consistently as the humidity decreased.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Contracted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contracted. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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