as in compression
the act or process of reducing the size or volume of something by or as if by pressing
most substances undergo contraction when cooled
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contraction
As the contractions intensified, Katia realized the baby was coming—fast.
—
Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The apparatus sent pulses to the cardiac muscle to establish normal and regular contractions.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2025
At a moment of Hollywood contraction, when there are already too few exciting comedies on the TV calendar, there’s a real sadness in putting a giant bummer asterisk next to one of the few good ones.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
The contraction — the company also notched a monthly sales decline in September, unlike other large Chinese EV brands — comes as BYD slashed its sales goal for the year.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contraction
Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The apparatus sent pulses to the cardiac muscle to establish normal and regular contractions.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2025
At a moment of Hollywood contraction, when there are already too few exciting comedies on the TV calendar, there’s a real sadness in putting a giant bummer asterisk next to one of the few good ones.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
The contraction — the company also notched a monthly sales decline in September, unlike other large Chinese EV brands — comes as BYD slashed its sales goal for the year.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contraction
Noun
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Blakely patented that first product and many others that followed, but not everything is compression driven.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
16 Oct. 2025
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The firm cited solid operating trends and valuation compression so far this year for the call.—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
Noun
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The effort has also faced criticism over transparency after reports revealed that more than 2,000 people involved were required to sign nondisclosure agreements, limiting public access to spending and contracting details.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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Cattle farmers are well-equipped to deal with dwindling flock sizes, which are a part of about a decade-long cycle of a natural swelling and contracting of livestock populations as result of cattles’ biological life cycle, Peel said.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Packages with bacon were stored below the condenser unit inside the walk-in freezer, resulting in condensation ice buildup on top.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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The production used two internal fans in the helmets to keep condensation down and various internal screens inside the helmet shell to display data.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In addition to tilt and pressure sensitivity, the Apple Pencil Pro adds squeeze and delete functions to the palette, along with a new barrel roll gesture and haptic vibrational feedback.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 Oct. 2025
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If prices rise, a rush to close short positions can lead to a short squeeze where traders pile back into the asset, pushing prices higher.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Physical changes which happen during menopause that have to do with dilation or constriction of the blood vessels and impact body temperature are known as vasomotor symptoms.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
17 Oct. 2025
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The receptors control constriction and dilation in the smooth muscle fibers in the walls of these blood vessels.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Contraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraction. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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