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

Knife River – The stock rose almost 3% following a Wall Street Journal report that activist investor Starboard Value has acquired a substantial equity interest in the construction materials and contracting services company. — Michelle Fox,darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026 Partly because the contracting system remains dysfunctional, the government has made little visible progress toward repairing the country’s crumbling highways. — Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026 The California State University system is now deep into its second year of contracting with OpenAI to offer ChatGPT to its 470,000 students and 63,000 faculty and staff. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Officials said the overall risk of contracting measles is low for people who are fully vaccinated. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 The Department of Defense is piloting a new tech contracting model, where companies can work at automating department processes and earn a percentage of the savings. — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2026 Investigators accused him of obstruction of justice, unlawful contracting and, among other things, claiming $127,630 in expenses linked to fictitious missions and plane tickets for nearly a dozen trips. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026 The people who were in the area of the fire and the injured person all worked for Ford's contracting company Leadec Industrial Services, Elliott said. — Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2026 His objection is not foreign investment but opaque contracting. — Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Aug. 2026

Verb

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 With this supercomputing infrastructure, the community colleges aim to avoid contracting with an external AI vendor that may come with a higher price tag and data privacy concerns. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 24 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 North Carolina teenager who died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri was likely infected from a water feature at a community center, according to state and local officials. — Victoria Arancio, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026 China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index showed new orders and output both returned to expansion in August after contracting in July. — Anniek Bao,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026 Earlier this year, the FDA approved a new medicine, XOCOVA, to prevent people from contracting the virus after exposure. — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 15 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

Storytelling in the modern world is now often about getting the most clicks and attention.

— Hannah Little, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2026
The lack of a real-time conversation means many patients aren’t getting the type of care recommended by medical societies that prescribe GLP-1s, including discussions about weight-loss goals, past efforts and eating disorders.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of getting

Verb

But Orange, with its booming home sales and constant new construction, was buffered for years from shrinking student counts felt in other parts of the country.

— Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Fazio’s announcement undermined one more preposterous claim by the shrinking figure that is Diamantis.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of shrinking

Verb

It will be closed by leaders who decide that creating new value beats endlessly compressing old value.

— Sumeet Salwan, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026
The result is an entire ocean’s worth of wind and waves all compressing together to get through what is a seriously small bottleneck.

— KC Baker, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of compressing

Verb

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
The California Gig Workers Union hopes to begin bargaining by the end of the year, CalMatters reported.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of bargaining

Noun

My pilot father wouldn’t step foot on a plane without a pair of compression socks to help circulate blood and stop uncomfortable swelling.

— Abbey Hudetz, Travel + Leisure, 18 Sep. 2026
Pneumatic compression boots, once mostly seen in physical therapy clinics and pro locker rooms, are now showing up on kitchen chairs and living room floors, marketed for everything from lymphatic drainage to post-workout recovery.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of compression

Verb

The flashing yellow phase at the traffic signal is also meant to help with traffic flow and reduce emissions by decreasing wait times at the light.

— Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026
In addition, this development shows that behind-the-scenes diplomacy can still be effective, even in an atmosphere of decreasing trust among allies.

— the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2026