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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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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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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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of contracted
Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
The news on Tielemans, who will miss around eight weeks, was another setback, yet supporters wanting the 28-year-old to sign a new deal, having been under the impression he was contracted until 2027, can take heart in learning his agreement actually runs for another 12 months.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Their Eyes adopts the documentary mode and is narrated entirely by crowdworkers—specifically, annotators contracted to segment and label images to create training data for self-driving cars.
—Farren Fei Yuan, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
The county originally contracted for 75 buses, but only 69 were delivered.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
The worker contracted by Caltrans, a 47-year-old Cudahy man, was standing next to the truck when the crash occurred, Perez said.
—Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
Latent infections refer to people who contracted TB, but never developed symptoms.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Those systems are bought by chip foundries like Taiwanese company TSMC, which are contracted by chip designers like Nvidia.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Everybody slept on the third floor of Liway’s house, and Yolanda’s youngest daughter contracted leptospirosis.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
Last summer, the island’s economy minister said that the Cuban economy contracted by 10% since 2019.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
The news on Tielemans, who will miss around eight weeks, was another setback, yet supporters wanting the 28-year-old to sign a new deal, having been under the impression he was contracted until 2027, can take heart in learning his agreement actually runs for another 12 months.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Their Eyes adopts the documentary mode and is narrated entirely by crowdworkers—specifically, annotators contracted to segment and label images to create training data for self-driving cars.
—Farren Fei Yuan, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
The county originally contracted for 75 buses, but only 69 were delivered.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
The worker contracted by Caltrans, a 47-year-old Cudahy man, was standing next to the truck when the crash occurred, Perez said.
—Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
Latent infections refer to people who contracted TB, but never developed symptoms.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Those systems are bought by chip foundries like Taiwanese company TSMC, which are contracted by chip designers like Nvidia.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Everybody slept on the third floor of Liway’s house, and Yolanda’s youngest daughter contracted leptospirosis.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracted
Verb
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Vasilevskiy got ahold of Swayman and threw a couple of shots with his left.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
-
And the paper got an exclusive interview with Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic, which included on the record comments from Mark Cuban and LeBron James.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When investors have less confidence in future growth, the P/E will get compressed.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Peak earning windows are compressed.—
Jasmine Browley,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
European automakers face a volatile year, squeezed by weak markets, a lack of profitability, uncertain European emissions regulations, and pressure for restructuring and mergers, while rushing to electrify and defend against burgeoning Chinese competition.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
On a typical day, Troy would have been getting ready to go to sleep on one of the two sets of bunk beds that had been squeezed into the kids’ bedroom at home.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Trump said late Thursday that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to a temporary pause in targeting Kyiv and other places as the region experiences freezing temperatures that have brought widespread hardship to civilians.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The Senate agreed in 2006, when lawmakers confirmed Warsh to the Fed by voice vote.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Real Madrid star Arda Guler was caught disagreeing with head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, after being brought off in Wednesday's 4-2 Champions League loss to Benfica.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Secure loose outdoor items and adjust plans as necessary so you're not caught outside.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As digital distractions, from texting, social media, breaking news, work, and more, increasingly encroach on our lives, our average attention span — the length of time a person is able to concentrate mentally on a specific activity — has shrunk.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The light is then guided using ultra-precise mirrors and reflected off a mask containing the pattern for one layer of the chip, which is then shrunk and projected onto a silicon wafer.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
-
This conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.—
Jessica Firger,
SELF,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After three months of highs, pepper spray use and violent incidents sharply decreased at the end of the year.—
Jason Henry,
Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore schools are all grappling with multi-million dollar budget deficits in the 2026-27 school year, with the districts citing declining enrollment and decreased state and federal funding as having created budget holes that will likely lead to difficult decisions.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contracted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contracted. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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