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

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 On the development and production side, Lumicraft’s AI casting tool Castlink pairs actor discovery with contracting and settlement, while Reproduction’s Pre-Flow handles screenplay analysis and production data sharing. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026 The contract value was for $183,400, according to public contracting records. — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 State lawmakers passed new rules as part of the 2026 Senate Appropriations Act that ban state or local agencies from using race-conscious or gender-conscious goals in contracting. — Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 24 Aug. 2026 The new project-funding system was described by a contracting officer during an April meeting with NPS officials. — Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 The July 2026 jobs report showed the economy contracting by 23,000 jobs against a consensus forecast of positive 83,000. — Susan Lamotte, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Verb

Three Kentuckians have been hospitalized after contracting measles since officials confirmed an ongoing outbreak in Western Kentucky, according to information on the Kentucky Department for Public Health's website. — Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Sep. 2026 AGPhotography/Adobe Stock A North Carolina teenager has died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri that's found in warm freshwater, state health officials said. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Over a dozen cases of cats, who are highly susceptible to H5N1, contracting the virus from commercial raw food have been reported since 2024, according to the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 Gemini's agents can assist with contract review and redlining, legal and policy research, regulatory monitoring, drafting NDAs, preparing documents for redaction, creating contracting playbooks and handling data-subject access requests. — Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Two workers at Germany’s Frankfurt Airport have died after contracting malaria believed to have been spread by a mosquito brought into the country via an aircraft. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 Additionally, pregnant women who are at a heightened risk of contracting HIV should be tested at the beginning of their pregnancy and again during the third trimester, says the CDC. — Tj Rhodes, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 26 Aug. 2026 This medication — different from Paxlovid, an antiviral medication used to lessen COVID-19 symptoms — prevents people from contracting the illness after exposure. — Charlotte Observer, 24 Aug. 2026 Seshamani added that the overall risk of contracting measles remains low if the individual is vaccinated. — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 24 Aug. 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

Yankees fans might be getting flashbacks of Boone’s defense for Anthony Volpe, who similarly faded into inconsistency after emerging as the apparent heir to the franchise’s shortstop role.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
And with 11 billion tons of freight moved by truck in 2024, the stakes of getting safety right extend far beyond the competition floor.

— Alice Barlow, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of getting

Verb

Advanced robotics and a rapid rollout of AI should counter the shrinking workforce, while creating enough new jobs to keep youth disaffection at bay.

— Ben Bland, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026
At the same time, the world’s glaciers are shrinking because of the warming planet.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of shrinking

Verb

Scrape into prepared pan and move around with a fork to fill pan and create some surface texture without compressing mixture.

— Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Sep. 2026
To gauge correctly, people can place a measuring tape around the abdomen, between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the hip bones, keeping the tape level and snug but not compressing the skin.

— Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of compressing

Verb

There was no catching the Redhawks on this night with Hayes playing like a world-beater.

— Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
During the show, he was filmed skiing to the South Pole, catching a giant anaconda, milking a venomous tarantula and diving under the ice of the North Pole.

— Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of catching

Verb

The vaccines don’t block all flu infections but do help prevent the worst outcomes, decreasing older adults’ hospitalizations by 31%, according to the Vaccine Integrity Project, a public health group based at the University of Minnesota.

— Lauran Neergaard, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
If the network of user devices is substantial enough, every job can be routed to a nearby device, decreasing the latency.

— Dina Genkina, IEEE Spectrum, 1 Sep. 2026