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
Some quick math means that 30 seconds on the machine will give you 900 muscle activations, while a lo-fi floor workout would be just 30 to 60 contractions.
—
Kristin Auble, Vogue, 10 July 2025
Scientists can even measure the minute daily expansion and contraction of the trees.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 7 July 2025
How stress and screen time change your breath Breathing is one of the body’s most fundamental movement patterns — occurring on average more than 23,000 times a day — and the diaphragm’s contractions play a key role.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
Walking can enhance the muscle contractions of the gastrointestinal tract—a wave-like movement called peristalsis—which can help pass the gas as belches or flatulence, explains Clarke.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, Time, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contraction
Kristin Auble, Vogue, 10 July 2025
Scientists can even measure the minute daily expansion and contraction of the trees.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 7 July 2025
How stress and screen time change your breath Breathing is one of the body’s most fundamental movement patterns — occurring on average more than 23,000 times a day — and the diaphragm’s contractions play a key role.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
Walking can enhance the muscle contractions of the gastrointestinal tract—a wave-like movement called peristalsis—which can help pass the gas as belches or flatulence, explains Clarke.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, Time, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contraction
Noun
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After securing the rope, customers should cut and remove the original compression strap from the pool, CPSC said.—
Melina Khan,
AZCentral.com,
22 July 2025
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) explains that the compression strap surrounding each of the pool's exterior can be used as a foothold.1 This allows children to climb into the pool even when the ladder is removed.—
Anna Halkidis,
Parents,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
Allow the book to come back to room temperature while still sealed to prevent condensation.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 July 2025
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The second process for forming a condensation trail occurs in air that is clear, but almost fully saturated with water vapor.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
Noun
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For the company in question, meme stock bumps and short squeezes can be distracting, but have limited direct impact on operations.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
22 July 2025
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Add a few mini mozzarella balls, enough pesto to lightly coat the salad, and a squeeze of lemon juice.—
Katie Sullivan Morford,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Yet Fuller found her own identity—as a woman and a writer—to be a source of confusion, and sometimes constriction.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
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But labor force growth was capped by constriction in several sectors.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
3 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Contraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraction. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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