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

The lawmakers’ staff would also backchannel with the Navy after the bill was passed to make sure contracting offices knew to direct the money to Navatek, emails seen by ProPublica show — even though the contracts were in theory competitive. — Molly Redden, ProPublica, 20 Oct. 2026 By mapping these thousands of different features, all created from the moon cooling and contracting over time, the researchers are piecing together lunar history. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Many of the promissory notes allegedly listed a Kansas City contracting company as the borrower, according to court records. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026 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 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

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

Now, Tan-Gillespie is tasked with getting KFC’s American business back on track as the brand faces growing competition paired with more health-conscious and cash-strapped consumers.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Before Rover, success meant getting promotions, landing bigger clients and climbing the corporate ladder.

— Sally Simmons, Contributor, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of getting

Verb

Experts point to busier schedules, parenting demands, shrinking friendship networks and the appeal of at-home entertainment as some possible reasons for the decline.

— Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Banks that limit their sourcing to other banks are competing for a shrinking pool of people who already think the way the industry has always thought.

— Paul Davis, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of shrinking

Verb

Needless to say, there’s a lot going on in Butler’s busy, occasionally dizzying script, though compressing the approximately 550-page source material was surely no easy task.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
The rapid earnings growth also has the effect of compressing multiples.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 9 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

Located inside The Mark, the space will offer a menu of holistic treatments, connecting the mind and body through state of the art facials, red light therapy, medical-grade compression boots and more.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
That compression is what makes the phase three moment tradable inside every current fund horizon.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of compression

Verb

Peltola is a gun-owning, fish-catching Alaska-bush native, who has worked for mines and supports oil drilling, and is allied with the state’s largest labor unions.

— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
But for audiences outside North America, catching Nathan Fielder’s three-hour documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes — now expected to be a major player in awards season — has become a frustrating waiting game.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026