contact
Americannoun
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the act or state of touching; a touching or meeting, as of two things or people.
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immediate proximity or association.
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an acquaintance, colleague, or relative through whom a person can gain access to information, favors, influential people, and the like.
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Electricity. a junction of electric conductors, usually metal, that controls current flow, often completing or interrupting a circuit.
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Geology. the interface, generally a planar surface, between strata that differ in lithology or age.
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Medicine/Medical. a person who has lately been exposed to an infected person.
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Sociology. a condition in which two or more individuals or groups are placed in communication with each other.
verb (used with object)
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to put or bring into contact.
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to communicate with.
We'll contact you by mail or telephone.
verb (used without object)
adjective
noun
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the act or state of touching physically
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the state or fact of close association or communication (esp in the phrases in contact, make contact )
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a junction of two or more electrical conductors
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the part of the conductors that makes the junction
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the part of an electrical device to which such connections are made
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an acquaintance, esp one who might be useful in business, as a means of introduction, etc
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any person who has been exposed to a contagious disease
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photog See contact print
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(usually plural) an informal name for contact lens
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(modifier) of or relating to irritation or inflammation of the skin caused by touching the causative agent
contact dermatitis
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(modifier) denoting an insecticide or herbicide that kills on contact, rather than after ingestion or absorption
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(modifier) of or maintaining contact
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(modifier) requiring or involving (physical) contact
the contact sport of boxing
verb
interjection
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Electricity
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A connection between two conductors that allows an electric current to flow.
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A part or device that makes or breaks a connection in an electrical circuit.
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Geology The place where two different types of rock, or rocks of different ages, come together.
Usage
Many verbs in English have derived from nouns. One can head an organization or toe the mark; butter the bread or bread the cutlet. Hence, grammatically at least, there is no historical justification for the once frequently heard criticism of contact used as a verb meaning “to communicate with”: The managing editor contacted each reporter personally. Despite the earlier objections to it and probably largely because there is no other one-word verb in the language to express the same idea, this use of contact has become standard in all types of speech and writing. Contact as a noun meaning “a person through whom one can gain access to information and the like” is also standard: My contact at the embassy says that the coup has been successful.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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contactsimple
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contactssimple
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have contactedperfect
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has contactedperfect
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am contactingprogressive
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are contactingprogressive
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is contactingprogressive
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have been contactingperfect progressive
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has been contactingperfect progressive
Past
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contactedsimple
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had contactedperfect
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was contactingprogressive
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were contactingprogressive
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had been contactingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contact
First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin contāctus “a touch,” noun use of past participle of contingere “to touch together, each other, on all sides,” from con- con- + -tingere, combining form of tangere “to touch”; cf. attain, tango
Explanation
Contact is the act of touching or communicating with someone or something else. The question increasingly isn't whether there is other life in the universe, but how on earth we will ever make contact with it. "To make contact" (the noun) means to establish some form of communication, be it physical, verbal, or some other kind. To contact (the verb) means to establish that communication. If you're looking to contact Madonna, good luck. She's got people whose only job it is to prevent folks like you from making contact with her. Batteries have two contacts, one positive and one negative. They are where the battery makes contact with the thing to which it provides power.
Vocabulary lists containing contact
"Thank You, M'am"
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Common Senses: Tact, Tang ("Touch")
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"High School Football"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Russian frigate, Neustrashimy, was also being monitored by a French military aircraft which made radio contact with the warship asking it to clarify its intentions, the BBC has been told.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
It is not known whether DeChambeau made contact with Trump privately, but on Saturday R&A chief executive Mark Darbon was asked whether the President had been in touch.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
When supported by both hind legs and the tail, the animal would have formed a tripodal stance, meaning that three points of contact helped stabilize its body.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
They pressed Gannon about continuing contact between G42 and Chinese state companies, drawing on skeptical CIA analysts who shared their view.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Despite Franklin’s request, Sarah Taylor didn’t want to lose contact with Leila and Frankie.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
That includes using different networks to find people, such as social media and LinkedIn rather than the contacts of the Lord Lieutenants, the King's local representatives.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The contacts didn’t show Xiao was betraying his commitments, Gannon replied, arguing the employees in question were lower-level staff, who may have operated without Xiao’s knowledge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
The Fed’s beige book is a collection of anecdotes from the central bank’s contacts across the country and is designed to give officials a sense of conditions on the ground before they meet.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
More than 10,000 contacts of infected people are being monitored, at a follow-up rate of 82 percent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
“You can’t learn with lipstick? You can’t read with contacts? What, Dimple.”
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
Mr. Bolton contacted the Biden Administration in 2021, though he wasn’t obliged to.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
The BBC has contacted Healy and Bechtel for comment.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
He said he contacted Laos' foreign minister over the years to "insist on a thorough investigation to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice".
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
The Laos embassy in Canberra has been contacted for comment.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Still, Hydesville locals tended toward belief in the spirit that had first contacted Maggie and Kate Fox.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
"Within about an hour of me contacting them, somebody was at my door from the hospital asking for the paperwork back. I refused to give it to them," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Topp recommends contacting the recreation department or high-school association for information and contacts regarding the certification requirements in the desired sport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Hopkins registered the trademark in 2018 and began contacting authors who had also used the descriptor — and the list was long, because the cocky, arrogant hero is a romance trope.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
"These images started spreading like wildfire... and then the media started contacting me for a response."
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
“Thank you for contacting me,” he said, and he hung up.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
