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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of contracted
Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
One nursing assistant who contracted the virus survived, but passed it on to her son, who died.
—Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Residents in at least 18 states have contracted listeria infections from prepared pasta products, which were sold at retailers nationwide, including Trader Joe's, Walmart and Kroger stores.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 7 Nov. 2025
In related news, MCI’s security is contracted and not handled through the Transportation Security Administration, so staff have continued to be paid and operations have remained normal, Overstreet said.
—Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025
Amazon, Google, and Meta have each contracted for multiple gigawatts of clean energy, with Amazon alone announcing 133 new renewable energy projects in 2023.
—John Kerry, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025
To the south, Mexico’s GDP contracted in the third quarter, sparking fears of a recession, as the industrial sector, ranging from mining to construction to manufacturing, has been severely impacted by trade tensions.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
China’s manufacturing activity in October contracted more than expected, shrinking to the lowest level in six months.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
While the Constitution demands that members of Congress never go without pay and federal law mandates that federal employees are eventually reimbursed with back pay, the same is not true for workers contracted by the federal government.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
Near the end of the Biden Administration, A250 contracted with iCivics, a civics-education organization founded by Sandra Day O’Connor, to research activities planned around the country.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
One nursing assistant who contracted the virus survived, but passed it on to her son, who died.
—Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Residents in at least 18 states have contracted listeria infections from prepared pasta products, which were sold at retailers nationwide, including Trader Joe's, Walmart and Kroger stores.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 7 Nov. 2025
In related news, MCI’s security is contracted and not handled through the Transportation Security Administration, so staff have continued to be paid and operations have remained normal, Overstreet said.
—Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025
Amazon, Google, and Meta have each contracted for multiple gigawatts of clean energy, with Amazon alone announcing 133 new renewable energy projects in 2023.
—John Kerry, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025
To the south, Mexico’s GDP contracted in the third quarter, sparking fears of a recession, as the industrial sector, ranging from mining to construction to manufacturing, has been severely impacted by trade tensions.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
China’s manufacturing activity in October contracted more than expected, shrinking to the lowest level in six months.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
While the Constitution demands that members of Congress never go without pay and federal law mandates that federal employees are eventually reimbursed with back pay, the same is not true for workers contracted by the federal government.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracted
Verb
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Fans also got a small teaser poster, which has led to nearly a million views on the above post alone.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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In December 2024, Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda the Good Witch in the Wicked films, got tearful when she was presented on The Drew Barrymore Show with one of the test wands used by Billie Burke, the original Glinda from 1939’s Oz.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Available pore space is diminished when roots fill it or the soil gets compressed as the soil particles break down over time and pack together.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Nov. 2025
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The photograph of the plumbing was compressed, along with Max’s prompt, into a vector that captured its most important features.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Another passenger squeezed her way up the aisle to try to make a tight connection.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
-
De’Von Achane took the handoff, squeezed through the hole, blasted past a diving defender at midfield and outraced the rest of the Bills’ defense to the end zone.—
Steve Gorten,
Miami Herald,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Leaders in Congress agreed and sent out armadas of patriot privateers to do just that, plundering British shipping around the Atlantic rim and forcing Royal Navy warships to redeploy to convoy duty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Advertisement In April 2021, Min Aung Hlaing personally agreed at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting to the Five Point Consensus intended to end the bloodshed and open a path toward dialogue.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Secure loose outdoor items and adjust plans as necessary so you're not caught outside.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Police previously said a 2011 Infiniti G37 sedan crashed on the I-30 service road and caught fire.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The collapse of social and search traffic has shrunk its audiences, particularly at Business Insider, which has long relied on clicks.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The move blew a roughly billion-dollar hole in the organization's budget, and the fund to pay for shipments shrank.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
His remarks have been edited and condensed.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
5 Nov. 2025
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This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Content licensing revenues decreased 27% to $59 million primarily due to the timing and availability of deliveries in the period.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The median sale price for detached homes remained flat at $650,000, while attached homes decreased by 3% to $388,220.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contracted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contracted. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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