CONTRACTS Synonyms: 150 Similar and Opposite Words

contracts 1 of 2

noun

plural of contract

as in guarantees

a formal agreement to fulfill an obligation accused her of breaking their contract by not completing the decorating job on budget

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Relevance

as in agreements

an arrangement about action to be taken a contract outlining what needed to be done by each person

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contracts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of contract

as in gets

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 shrinks

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 compresses

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 covenants

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 contracts

Noun

And the trucking firms that Target contracts with can operate with fuller loads. —

Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 31 May 2026 This is one of the missions originally awarded to United Launch Alliance under the NSSL Phase 2 contracts, but shifted to SpaceX after delays in ULA’s Vulcan certification. —

Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2026 Fifty-one Sunflower players have signed pro-soccer contracts over the past seven years, Lipoff said. —

Pj Green may 30, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026 The salary is higher compared to previous contracts. —

Hannah Brueske, Twin Cities, 30 May 2026 Just days before the explosion, NASA awarded Blue Origin launch contracts, including one this fall for a Blue Moon lander mission to put NASA payloads on the surface. —

Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 May 2026 The start-up has already received government research contracts totaling $24 million for feasibility testing in inspection, logistics, and weapons handling across the Army, Navy and Air Force. —

Dylan Butts, CNBC, 30 May 2026 Mandatory conflict-of-interest firewalls extending to family members of senior DoD officials — preventing companies in which their relatives hold financial stakes from receiving contracts while those officials are in office. —

Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026 Black entrepreneurs continue to face tremendous obstacles securing funding, city contracts and institutional support. —

Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026

Verb

Once someone contracts norovirus, their body sheds billions of tiny, contagious virus particles. —

Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 29 May 2026 The cosmos contracts to a minimum size, then expands. —

Paul Sutter, Space.com, 26 May 2026 Pompano Beach likely is next, and Pompano is the largest city that contracts with the sheriff. —

Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 23 May 2026 The Ethics Commission will examine lobbying practices, conflicts of interest and also contracts from county departments for possible violations, such as a contract financially beneficial to a county employee or county supervisor. —

Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 19 May 2026 The stern Republic Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) contracts him to liberate Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White), a muscular slug alien who is the son of the villainous Jabba, and return him to his family in exchange for some vital information. —

David Sims, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026 Derivatives contracts that hedge against inflation risk are around their highest since October 2025 but still relatively tame, and futures traders expect Fed officials largely to sit on their hands until the inflation storm passes. —

Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 May 2026 When someone contracts a hantavirus infection, the symptoms don’t show up for anywhere from one week and two months. —

Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026 Some Idaho homeowners are due a refund after the Idaho Attorney General’s Office determined homeowners associations and a property management company that contracts with them illegally charged fees without proper disclosures, according to a news release from the agency. —

Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 8 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracts

Noun

If everyone in America agreed on religious, political, and artistic truths, there would be no need for our constitutional guarantees.

— Isaac Butler, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
Iran’s negotiators expressed defiance, saying there was ‘no trust in guarantees or words’ from the American side.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026