contraction

American  

[kuhn-trak-shuhn] / kənˈtræk ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of contracting or the quality or state of being contracted.

   The contraction of the ship’s metal fastenings and consequent snapping of the wood caused cracking sounds during the cold night.

2. a shortened form of a word or group of words, with the omitted letters often replaced in written English by an apostrophe, as e'er for ever, isn't for is not, I'd for I would.

3. Physiology.

   1. the thickening and shortening of a muscle.

      Myosin is a protein in muscles, working together with actin to produce muscle contraction.

   2. one in an often rhythmic series of such muscular changes, especially in the wall of the uterus during labor.

      When I got to the hospital, my labor was in full force with only 10 seconds between contractions.

4. a restriction or withdrawal, as of currency or of funds available as call money.

5. a decrease in economic and industrial activity (opposed to expansion).

   The contraction that became the Great Depression began in the United States and spread around the globe.

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contraction British  

/ kənˈtrækʃən /

noun

1. an instance of contracting or the state of being contracted

2. physiol any normal shortening or tensing of an organ or part, esp of a muscle, e.g. during childbirth

3. pathol any abnormal tightening or shrinking of an organ or part

4. a shortening of a word or group of words, often marked in written English by an apostrophe

   I've come for I have come

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contraction Scientific  

/ kən-trăk′shən /

1. The shortening and thickening of a muscle for the purpose of exerting force on or causing movement of a body part.

2. See more at muscle

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contraction Cultural  

1. A word produced by running two or more words together and leaving out some of the letters or sounds. For example, isn't is a contraction of is not.

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Usage

Contractions such as isn't, couldn't, can't, weren't, he'll, they're occur chiefly, although not exclusively, in informal speech and writing. They are common in personal letters, business letters, journalism, and fiction; they are rare in scientific and scholarly writing. Contractions occur in formal writing mainly as representations of speech.

Discover More

An apostrophe is generally used in contractions to show where letters or sounds have been left out.

Other Word Forms

• contractional adjective
• contractive adjective
• contractively adverb
• contractiveness noun
• noncontraction noun
• overcontraction noun
• recontraction noun

Etymology

Origin of contraction

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Old French, from Latin contractiōn-, stem of contractiō, equivalent to contract(us) “drawn together, restricted,” past participle of contrahere + -iōn- noun suffix; see contract, -ion

Explanation

A contraction is the act of decreasing the size of something or shortening it, or it can be the process of becoming smaller or compressed. The two most well-known uses of contraction involve muscles and words. A contraction of the muscle tenses it or shortens it, like when you're standing in the mirror flexing and admiring yourself. On the other hand, a contraction can also be two words that are combined, with a few letters often replaced by an apostrophe, like when we change do and not into don't.

Example Sentences

The overall contraction in the smartphone market has been partly the result of an ongoing memory shortage, which has constrained production and driven up the cost of components.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

One minute, she’d been in the bathroom, laboring through a contraction.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026

In a written statement read to the court, midwife Sasha Field said an ambulance should have been called around 90 minutes before the birth, when the baby's heart rate slowed after a contraction.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

The Bank of Korea is set to release first-quarter gross domestic product data Thursday, with most analysts expecting a rebound after a contraction in the previous quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

She ran, an animal endowed with contraction and extension; she ran; I have forgot my mantilla.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• decrease
• deflation
• recession
• reduction
• shrinkage