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
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Separately, the county has contracted with UC San Diego to conduct an Exposure Characterization Study examining what airborne chemicals communities in Imperial Beach, San Ysidro and Nestor are being exposed to, and at what levels.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026
The other two cases were identified in nurses who contracted Ebola in the United States after treating a patient in Dallas.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander is one of two spacecraft contracted by NASA to carry out those landings — the other is SpaceX's Starship — and until Blue Origin can complete repairs to LC-36, Blue Moon doesn't have a ride to space.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 1 June 2026
And in Rio de Janeiro, a traveler from Uganda who had contracted malaria tested negative for Ebola via saliva and urine tests on Sunday.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 June 2026
According to the Mayo Clinic, Lyme disease is an illness caused by borrelia bacteria, usually contracted by the bite of a tick carrying the bacteria.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
The awards increase Blue Origin’s centrality to NASA’s Moon plans, both by flying large amounts of cargo, with a Mark 1 lander previously contracted to deliver the Viper vehicle to the lunar surface, and by supporting the company’s larger Mark 2 lander for eventual human missions.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
For decades, Saratoga has contracted its police services to the county sheriff’s office.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
Verb
The majority of them had contracted the Ebola virus outside the United States.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Separately, the county has contracted with UC San Diego to conduct an Exposure Characterization Study examining what airborne chemicals communities in Imperial Beach, San Ysidro and Nestor are being exposed to, and at what levels.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026
The other two cases were identified in nurses who contracted Ebola in the United States after treating a patient in Dallas.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander is one of two spacecraft contracted by NASA to carry out those landings — the other is SpaceX's Starship — and until Blue Origin can complete repairs to LC-36, Blue Moon doesn't have a ride to space.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 1 June 2026
And in Rio de Janeiro, a traveler from Uganda who had contracted malaria tested negative for Ebola via saliva and urine tests on Sunday.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 June 2026
According to the Mayo Clinic, Lyme disease is an illness caused by borrelia bacteria, usually contracted by the bite of a tick carrying the bacteria.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
The awards increase Blue Origin’s centrality to NASA’s Moon plans, both by flying large amounts of cargo, with a Mark 1 lander previously contracted to deliver the Viper vehicle to the lunar surface, and by supporting the company’s larger Mark 2 lander for eventual human missions.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
For decades, Saratoga has contracted its police services to the county sheriff’s office.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracted
Verb
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Wembanyama scored 22 points, Julian Champagnie got 18 of his 20 off of three-pointers and the Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 on Saturday night — bucking heavy odds to win a Game 7 on the road.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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The drama got even louder when a short sideline video started making the rounds on X.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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At the same time, open-weight and lower-cost competitors have compressed pricing so aggressively that capabilities once reserved for the largest enterprises are now deployable at mass scale.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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The tank can also produce ice ridges, compressed piles that form when ice fields collide and can extend tens of meters deep, though that’s occasional rather than routine.—
Deena Theresa,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Freddie Freeman squeezed one inside the left-field foul pole in the first inning, his fourth home run in nine games (after hitting just one in the previous 35 games).—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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The story of America’s lopsided home prices has often been pinned on the wealthy remote workers who squeezed home supply in the pandemic’s early days.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Cuba's armed forces said on Facebook that the meeting took place with mutual agreement and that both sides agreed to maintain communication.—
Phil Stewart,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
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The company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $306,426, according to a consent agreement.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
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If caught in a rip current, remain calm.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
5 June 2026
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Darryl Brown, a sergeant in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, was caught with the missing items after the photojournalist used a geo-tracking device to trace her missing gear to his home, the state’s attorney general said Thursday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The declining popularity of Indian equities is reflected in the MSCI index, where the country's weightage has shrunk to around 11% from its peak of nearly 20% in 2024.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
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The 2008 Great Recession deterred sponsors, prizes dwindled and flair bartenders quit as competitive in-fighting and harder rules shrank the talent pool.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The second act is tighter and has the best songs, but the whole show could easily be condensed into a 100-minute one-act with little lost.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
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The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Homicides have decreased by roughly 11% from this time in 2025, which ended with a 60-year low in the number of people killed; the city has also had 148 fewer people shot.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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This isn’t unique to Sacramento, with Smith noting that an American Alliance of Museums survey found that 55% of museums report decreased traffic.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contracted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contracted. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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