CONTRACTING Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

contracting 1 of 2

noun

as in squeezing

the act or process of reducing the size or volume of something by or as if by pressing the contracting of the time frame for the primaries tends to favor candidates who are already well-known

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contracting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of contract

as in getting

to become affected with (a disease or disorder) before vaccines were invented, people lived in fear of contracting polio

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as in shrinking

to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter metal contracts at low temperatures

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as in compressing

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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as in bargaining

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 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 contracting

Noun

Poems are distillations into presence wherein now exists in blood flowing through veins, in muscles contracting and releasing, in joints flexing and extending, in this inhale, in this foot strike against the pavement, in this sigh. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026 Rankin said the board is specifically focused on avoiding conflicts of interest in contracting, strengthening workplace culture, establishing procedures for staff to raise concerns and reviewing how vacancies and reassignments are addressed. — Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026 Others use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), which lets anyone form an LLC, open a business bank account, and start a contracting business without legal status, disadvantaging law-abiding Americans. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 Venezuela government contracts Pulido, born in Bogotá in 1963, has a history that predates his emergence as one of the businessmen accused of profiting from Venezuela’s government contracting system. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026 Congress first authorized the Defense Department to use the contracting method in the 1980s to fund breakthrough technologies without publicly disclosing much about the work. — Aaron Davis, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2026 There’s little evidence that Ampere Analysis’ maxim, coined a couple of years ago – a contracting sector chasing a 75% of peak TV business – has not changed. — John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026 The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River is the contracting activity. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026 Experts say the risk of contracting rabies from a bat remains low, but the disease is almost always fatal once symptoms appear and is preventable with prompt treatment. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Verb

Nelson authored Assembly Bill 2019, carried by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, which established a state goal of awarding at least 25% of procurement and contracting opportunities to small businesses and microbusinesses. — Nicole Buss october 8, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026 At least 50 health workers have died after contracting the virus. — ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026 Many services offer these platforms individually, although contracting them separately means reconciling three contracts and three data models. — Guy Kurlandski, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026 To prevent women from contracting HIV from their partners while pregnant, antenatal clinics hope to start offering vaginal rings, which slowly release a protective antiretroviral drug over the course of a month. — David Cox, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026 The former for-profit prison was closed in 2021 after then-President Joe Biden’s executive order barred the Department of Justice from contracting with private prisons. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026 The economy is contracting and growing more unequal, leaving a large underclass too poor to participate meaningfully in the new private sector. — Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026 The measles virus is one of the most contagious infectious diseases; so contagious, in fact, that 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed end up contracting it. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026 The bill defines a brand guarantor broadly as anyone contracting for garment manufacturing, including through a brand or name-licensing arrangement. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracting

Noun

So scientists use frequency-dependent squeezing to reduce quantum noise.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 22 May 2026
Maenpaa added that the physical act of squeezing creates a sensory anchor.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

Chisell, who previously worked at Amazon, eBay and Starling Bank, estimates that Paysend can now deliver around 25% more engineering work with the same-sized team, but argues that getting results isn’t as simple as handing everyone the latest tech.

— Lindsay Dodgson, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2026
Fanatics Sportsbook is getting you in on the action with a $20 wager giving you $350 in FanCash when using promo code FOXNEWS350.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of getting

Verb

Governments are tapping their emergency oil faster than ever, and the room to keep doing so is shrinking.

— Heather Occhino, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
The top prize there was awarded to The Lake, directed by Abby Ellis, a film exploring the environmental catastrophe posed by the rapidly shrinking Great Salt Lake in Utah.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of shrinking

Verb

Equity and Casa Bonita management have been bargaining since April 2025, with the union meeting with management at least once a month, Hoeschen said.

— Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2026
Yet one or more of the P5 could inject new names at the last minute, once again leaving the decision to behind-the-scenes bargaining among a few powerful states.

— Ian Johnstone, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of bargaining

Noun

In my experience, the instinct to slow down and get every word perfect is exactly backwards under this kind of compression.

— Ronn Torossian, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The operator then told Zach Hickerson to begin CPR and gave him instructions on how to perform chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth until emergency medical services could arrive.

— Jordan Freiman, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of compression

Verb

One person, by the way, Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia , came out Thursday and said that CoreWeave is fine, doesn't need help — and, in fact, the company's cost of capital is actually decreasing because Nvidia chips more than hold their value.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Experts say forever chemicals can have a major impact on your health, compromising immunity, decreasing fertility, causing developmental delays in children and increasing the risk of certain kinds of cancers.

— WCCO Staff, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026