contour
Americannoun
-
contours
plural
-
the outline of a figure or body; the edge or line that defines or bounds a shape or object.
- Synonyms:
- boundary, form, configuration
-
Phonetics. a distinctive pattern of changes in pitch, stress, or tone extending across all or part of an utterance, especially across a sentence, and contributing to meaning.
verb (used with object)
-
contours,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contoured,
past participle, past
-
contouring
present participle
-
to mark with contour lines.
-
to make or form the contour or outline of.
-
to build (a road, railroad track, etc.) in conformity with the contour of the land.
-
to mold or shape so as to fit a certain configuration.
cars with seats that are contoured for comfort.
-
to apply foundation and bronzer along the natural bone structure of (the face) to create definition.
ways to contour your nose.
adjective
-
molded or shaped to fit a particular contour or form.
contour seats.
-
Agriculture. of or used in a system of plowing, cultivating, sowing, etc., along the contour lines of the land in order to trap water runoff and prevent erosion.
noun
-
the outline of a mass of land, figure, or body; a defining line
-
-
See contour line
-
( as modifier )
a contour map
-
-
(often plural) the shape or surface, esp of a curving form
the contours of her body were full and round
-
(modifier) shaped to fit the form of something
a contour chair
-
a rising and falling variation pattern, as in music and intonation
verb
-
to shape so as to form the contour of something
-
to mark contour lines on
-
to construct (a road, railway, etc) to follow the outline of the land
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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contoursimple
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contourssimple
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have contouredperfect
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has contouredperfect
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am contouringprogressive
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are contouringprogressive
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is contouringprogressive
-
have been contouringperfect progressive
-
has been contouringperfect progressive
Past
-
contouredsimple
-
had contouredperfect
-
was contouringprogressive
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were contouringprogressive
-
had been contouringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contour
First recorded in 1655–65; from French, equivalent to con- + tour “a turn,” modeled on Italian contorno, derivative of contornare “to outline”; see origin at con-, tour, turn
Explanation
Contour is the outline or shape of something. A shoe that fits well along the contours or shape of your foot is a good fit. Contour comes from the Italian contorno meaning "to draw a line," which is precisely what you are doing when you trace the contour of something. A road that contours a mountain follows along its edge and a mattress that contours to your body, adjusts to your shape. You might buy the kind of shoes that are designed to contour or mold to the shape of your feet over time, in which case you'll have to break them in.
Vocabulary lists containing contour
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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ACT Vocabulary List
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Butterfly Yellow
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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:
Yes, the contour palette is back, though Patrick says “no-makeup makeup” is still very much here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
Sometimes they are used to contour or shape the nose or lips.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
And even that contour was ever-changing, different depending on what form Mansfield took on to please the world.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2025
Yeah, the Chinese government is definitely mining my data, but so is Mark Zuckerberg, and Zuckerberg’s Facebook never gave me the perfect step-by-step tutorial of how to contour my face for a truly flawless finish.
From Slate ● Jan. 16, 2025
Please see The Shape of a Melodyl0 for children's activities covering melodic contour.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
But Britain's central role in slavery and mistreatment of its colonial subjects have traced the contours of the trip.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The full contours of this dispute are not yet clear, and Grenell has denied any knowledge of the matter.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
While playing on more than 200 recordings, he helped to both diligently shape and liberally loosen modern jazz’s contours, instigating or supporting quite a few moments of innovation across generations and musical movements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
The New York Times, external noted how it sees Holmes and Fielder "joust in a dizzying movie about truth, reality and the contours of knowledge".
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
She sits in the chair next to him, which is creased with the contours of her legs.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
As in those first-rate productions, she displays an admirable affinity for shaping ensemble works, allowing all the actors to shine, with careful attention to drawing forth contoured performances in even the smaller roles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Specialist pillows are often advertised as contoured, ergonomic or orthopaedic - but McCarthy says their effectiveness isn't completely proven.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
A towering performance that is also impressively contoured, Lithgow’s portrayal of dyspeptic British author Roald Dahl infuses Mark Rosenblatt’s drama with chilling mystery.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
The quoted language is aimed at the Supreme Court’s requirement that restrictions on speech to protect judicial proceedings be contoured no more broadly than required to meet the threat.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2023
She posts a lot of selfies with dramatically contoured cheekbones and intricate eyeliner patterns, and now I can’t stop looking through them.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
But we’re living in a time of hair transplants, peptides and body contouring, all appealing to men who want to optimize their appearance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
These are expected to include non-surgical BBLs, face lifts and filler-based body contouring treatments, which alter the shape of areas such as the stomach, thighs or buttocks.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
“We started to see a lot more intensive makeup looks, with contouring and heavy eye shadow application.”
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 7, 2026
Silicone butt injections continue to grow in popularity in the U.S. despite the fact that the Food and Drug Administration warns that injectable silicone for body contouring is not FDA-approved and comes with serious dangers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
Now she brought out fake eyelashes, green shadow, black liner, base, contouring brushes, eyebrow pencil, coral gloss.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
