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

Public Health staff warned that anyone at the restaurant on that date and time may be at risk of contracting measles 7-21 days after exposure. —

Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026 The Senate Appropriations Committee amended the bill to remove the authority’s goal of 15% participation by minority businesses and 5% participation from women’s businesses to participate in the procurement and contracting process. —

Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026 Gilbert argues the change simply opens up the position to candidates with experience in government contracting, budgeting and other fiscal matters that are part of an inspector general’s purview. —

Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026 The company entered the specialty construction space by acquiring Staco, a fast-growing local electrical contracting firm, last September, according to a news release. —

Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026 As previously reported by the Daily News, the USDOT sent a letter to the Gateway Development Commission and the MTA last month, outlining changes to its contracting practices that would be required to restore funding. —

Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026 The initial July executive order directed OHCA to update its credentialing and contracting procedures to exclude certain providers or entities from new or renewed participation in Oklahoma’s Medicaid program. —

Jillian Taylor, StateImpact, 23 Jan. 2026 Working with Hanlon Architects and DVC Incorporated contracting, the team gutted the interiors and moved three exterior walls to breathe new life into the circa-1990s, off-white-shingled edifice. —

David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026 Philip Flores, 54, admitted to providing gifts like expensive meals and tickets to major sporting events to James Soriano, who worked at the Naval Information Warfare Center as a contracting officer’s representative. —

City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026

Verb

The net effect will be a flat-to-contracting market combined with changing delivery economics. —

Peter Bendor-Samuel, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 The singer was recently hospitalized after contracting pneumonia and experiencing heart pain earlier this month, per Daily Mail, and on Sunday, Ray J shared on social media where his health stands. —

Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026 Shoveling involves contracting muscles without movement in the surrounding joints, putting strain on the heart. —

Manahil Ahmad, The Providence Journal, 25 Jan. 2026 Notably, there are questions about Starship’s lunar lander development timeline, which has prompted NASA to consider contracting another company for the job. —

Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026 Coon said she was checked out by a physician and while her vocal cords were fine, her throat was visibly contracting. —

Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2026 Rather than contracting with Evergy or another regional provider, the data company plans to open an entirely new power plant to generate electricity for the Nebius campus. —

Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 14 Jan. 2026 UConn lost again during its harrowing month of January, 2023, with Hurley and associate head coach Kimani Young at home after contracting Covid. —

Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 12 Jan. 2026 To prevent their flocks from contracting bird flu, officials suggest poultry owners keep their animals away from wild and migratory birds, isolate animals with signs of illness, disinfect equipment and other items, and limit the flock's contact with people. —

Laura Fay, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracting

Noun

Hassan’s team instead squeezed a photon’s intensity and demonstrated real-time control, fluctuating between intensity and phase-squeezing by adjusting the silica’s position relative to the beams.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025

Definition of squeezing