1
as in guarantees
a formal agreement to fulfill an obligation
accused her of breaking their contract by not completing the decorating job on budget
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in agreements
an arrangement about action to be taken
a contract outlining what needed to be done by each person
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in gets
to become affected with (a disease or disorder)
before vaccines were invented, people lived in fear of contracting polio
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shrinks
to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter
metal contracts at low temperatures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Joe Walsh, CBS News, 20 June 2026
Gómez is accused of using her position to influence government contracts given to a group of technology companies.
—ABC News, 20 June 2026
Mohan praised the company’s effort to switch to a new business model focused on multiyear contracts in an attempt to prevent cyclical fluctuations in its revenue.
—Michael Bloom, CNBC, 20 June 2026
Here's a cost breakdown of the renovation Two companies, Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Green Water Solutions, were given contracts for the work.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 20 June 2026
Trump threatened to cancel Musk’s federal contracts.
—Gautam Mukunda, Mercury News, 20 June 2026
What the world sees—the valuation, the contracts, the cultural dominance—is the fraction above the waterline.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
By comparison, Tesla has received relatively modest government contracts in the past.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 13 June 2026
Conferences have membership contracts, revenue leverage, championship access and conduct-detrimental authority.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026
Emmanuella Ogbonna, Health, 18 June 2026
Kansas City has not had its own jail since 2009 and currently contracts out with other counties to hold detainees.
—Dylan Lysen
june 16, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2026
Their limited time together is so important that Ryan throws caution to the wind and contracts chicken pox from an ill Phoebe.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 10 June 2026
The agency contracts with roughly 1,200 attorneys and support staff in such cases.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 4 June 2026
The sheriff’s office contracts out officers for Lafayette police and serves as that agency’s public voice.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Ramsey County contracts for security Ramsey County traditionally contracts private security companies for no more than two five-year consecutive terms, though Viking was granted an additional two years coming out of the pandemic.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026
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
Noun
References to the president were also stripped from email signatures and communications, as well as papers like brochures, press releases and contracts.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 20 June 2026
Gómez is accused of using her position to influence government contracts given to a group of technology companies.
—ABC News, 20 June 2026
Mohan praised the company’s effort to switch to a new business model focused on multiyear contracts in an attempt to prevent cyclical fluctuations in its revenue.
—Michael Bloom, CNBC, 20 June 2026
Here's a cost breakdown of the renovation Two companies, Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Green Water Solutions, were given contracts for the work.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 20 June 2026
Trump threatened to cancel Musk’s federal contracts.
—Gautam Mukunda, Mercury News, 20 June 2026
What the world sees—the valuation, the contracts, the cultural dominance—is the fraction above the waterline.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
By comparison, Tesla has received relatively modest government contracts in the past.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 13 June 2026
Conferences have membership contracts, revenue leverage, championship access and conduct-detrimental authority.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026
Verb
Magnesium is a key electrolyte that helps keep the heart beating steady by regulating how the heart contracts.
—Emmanuella Ogbonna, Health, 18 June 2026
Kansas City has not had its own jail since 2009 and currently contracts out with other counties to hold detainees.
—Dylan Lysen
june 16, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2026
Their limited time together is so important that Ryan throws caution to the wind and contracts chicken pox from an ill Phoebe.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 10 June 2026
The agency contracts with roughly 1,200 attorneys and support staff in such cases.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 4 June 2026
The sheriff’s office contracts out officers for Lafayette police and serves as that agency’s public voice.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Ramsey County contracts for security Ramsey County traditionally contracts private security companies for no more than two five-year consecutive terms, though Viking was granted an additional two years coming out of the pandemic.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracts
Noun
-
The state of emergency doesn't limit due process rights or constitutional guarantees and allows people to continue their daily activities, according to the decree.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 June 2026
-
The state of emergency doesn’t limit due process rights or constitutional guarantees and allows people to continue their daily activities, according to the decree.—
Paola Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Some cities offered more generous incentives while others had lower labor costs, however, Fort Worth’s history of delivering incentive agreements and city support for the project have made Fort Worth the company’s preferred location, Rogers said.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 June 2026
-
Major unions and business interests often sponsor competing measures, only to negotiate 11th-hour agreements to yank their proposals from ever appearing in front of voters.—
Evelyn Ronan,
Sacbee.com,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
The Great American State Fair officially gets underway tonight, and people who can’t attend in person may be wondering how to watch the kickoff celebration from home.—
Mike Stunson,
USA Today,
24 June 2026
-
The depth here gets thin quickly after the top four.—
Josh Kendall,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
Specialists say proton therapy is a precise tool that shrinks tumors while limiting side effects by sparing healthy parts of the body from harmful radiation.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
-
An amortising loan, by contrast, shrinks the exposure year by year as the balance is paid down.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Sitting for hours on end compresses joints and reduces circulation of synovial fluid, the body’s natural joint lubricant.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
-
The Great Flattening Of SaaS AI compresses time.—
Ankur Shah,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
The union usually bargains in the same year as performers’ union SAG-AFTRA and directors’ union the Directors Guild of America.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Apr. 2026
-
One potential—though untested—workaround would be for conferences, which are private entities, to serve as a joint employer that bargains with a players’ union.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Even though the official start of the sale is still a few weeks away, Amazon has launched a few early-bird deals, including plenty of savings on Apple iPads, AirPods, and Watches.—
Cierra Cowan,
PC Magazine,
18 June 2026
-
For a service built on impulse viewing, telco deals buy instant reach and built-in billing in price-sensitive markets where persuading users to sign up directly can be hard.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Mediators are also discussing nonaggression pacts, non-state armed groups and nuclear issues with Iran, according to Qatar.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
Disney+ has made similar pacts with the UK’s ITV and Germany’s ZDF.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contracts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contracts. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
