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

City Planning Department documents also list Marty Waisbrod, CEO of general contracting and development firm Promont, as a representative of FF1632 LLC. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 12 Nov. 2026 The proposal comes less than two months after the CMS board voted 5-4 to fire Superintendent Crystal Hill amid allegations involving the district’s contracting practices and financial oversight. — Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2026 Did Department of Government Efficiency personnel obtain access to sensitive, nonpublic contracting information at federal agencies that do business with Elon Musk’s companies? — Thomas Kahn, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026 In contrast to the commercial construction industry, the home building and contracting sector shed more than 15,000 jobs last month. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2026 But nearly all DoD contracting runs through only five industry primes who have historically focused on consolidation and complexity. — Ryan Ordway, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026 Clerc would not give a guidance for 2027, saying the contracting season is just starting. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026 With buyback volume contracting sharply, this mechanical support for earnings per share wanes, requiring companies to rely on actual profit expansion to drive per share earnings higher. — CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026 The amendment covers public employment, education, contracting and administration. — Eric Henderson, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026

Verb

Farm workers remain one of the groups with the highest risk of contracting the virus due to their exposure to infected cattle. — Tom Sanders, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026 The village has embarked on a rodent abatement program, which includes contracting with exterminator services to place and maintain about 350 rodent bait boxes throughout Franklin Park. — Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 9 Nov. 2026 An infant in southwestern Wisconsin has died after contracting measles, the state's first death from the disease in 36 years, state officials announced Thursday. — Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2026 On Monday, the New York State Department of Health announced that a child had died after contracting measles. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026 That means anyone that launches a spacecraft aboard a Chinese rocket may have trouble subsequently contracting with NASA or the Space Force. — Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026 The individual, who had underlying medical conditions, was hospitalized with severe illness after contracting avian influenza through exposure to infected livestock at a local dairy facility. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026 Lily died in 2018, shortly before her sixth birthday, after contracting EEHV. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2026 Proposal 2 streamlines contracting with the city so that a hot dog cart and a multibillion-dollar conglomerate don’t both have to fill out the same paperwork. — Ryder Kessler, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 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

The administration says longstanding federal policy of getting people into permanent housing first, then offering voluntary treatment, has failed, and is to blame for the pandemic spike in homelessness.

— Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 8 Nov. 2026
People may have been getting high off cannabis earlier than previously thought -- at least 2,800 years ago, a new study suggests.

— Mary Evans, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of getting

Verb

The ready-to-drink, or RTD, sports beverages are a much larger market, but the category's sales are shrinking as consumers reach for other hydration options instead.

— Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2026
This approach extends capacity beyond what manufacturers could achieve through shrinking a flat arrangement of cells alone.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of shrinking

Verb

Most conventional footwear restricts this natural movement by compressing the toes.

— Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 13 Nov. 2026
Laser fusion follows another route, compressing and heating a tiny fuel pellet so reactions occur before the fuel disperses.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of compressing

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

Wellow compression socks' signature knee-high design offers graduated compression that's comfortable and stylish.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2026
How elastocaloric cooling works Conventional air conditioners and refrigerators generally use vapor-compression systems, which circulate refrigerants through a cycle of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of compression

Verb

Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong crashes into the wall after catching a fly ball against the White Sox on May 17, 2026, at Rate Field.

— Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
Hawkins had 303 yards passing on just 11 completions, with redshirt freshman Taron Francis catching his first three passes of the season for 169 yards, including a 73-yard TD.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of catching

Verb

That’s even more acutely felt in a district where overall student count is decreasing and traditional public schools’ share is shrinking fast.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026
Safeguards implemented by social media platforms, including Huge’s YouTube ban, have played a role in his decreasing reach.

— Barry Levitt, Time, 12 Nov. 2026