Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contracted
Explanation
Something contracted has shrunk or become smaller. Your pupils tend to be contracted in bright sunlight. Contracted is an adjective that usually describes physical things. If your eyebrows look contracted, they are probably furrowed and scrunched up. If your tummy is contracted, it is probably drawn in and flat. Economies and budgets can also be contracted, if they have undergone the painful process of shrinking. If your belly is contracted, buy a bikini. If your budget is contracted, you are better off not buying anything.
Vocabulary lists containing contracted
"Watership Down" by Richard Adams, Chapter 43-Epilogue
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Stories of Ourselves
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Hunting by Stars
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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.
The defendants ran dubious nonprofits that contracted with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and nongovernment organizations responsible for administering billions of dollars in homeless funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Private-label products, which are made by contracted manufacturers for retailers that sell them in stores under their own names and logos, are steadily extending their reach into the consumer packaged-goods market.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
"Consumer-facing services contracted in July, as retail and hospitality activity fell following earlier increases in activity in the summer," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The conservancy announced last year that it would use contracted hunters to shoot the invasive deer as part of an ecosystem restoration plan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
After this, Peale took over the doctoring chores himself even though he too eventually contracted a mild case of yellow fever.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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.
