contact

[ kon-takt ]

See synonyms for: contact contacted contacting contacts on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act or state of touching; a touching or meeting, as of two things or people.
immediate proximity or association.

an acquaintance, colleague, or relative through whom a person can gain access to information, favors, influential people, and the like.
Electricity. a junction of electric conductors, usually metal, that controls current flow, often completing or interrupting a circuit.
Geology. the interface, generally a planar surface, between strata that differ in lithology or age.
Medicine/Medical. a person who has lately been exposed to an infected person.
Sociology. a condition in which two or more individuals or groups are placed in communication with each other.: Compare categoric contact, primary contact, secondary contact, sympathetic contact.
contact lens.

verb (used with object)

to put or bring into contact.
to communicate with: We'll contact you by mail or telephone.

verb (used without object)

to enter into or be in contact.

adjective

involving or produced by touching or proximity: contact allergy.

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

usage note For contact

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 words from contact

con·tac·tu·al [kon-tak-choo-uhl], /kɒnˈtæk tʃu əl/, adjective
con·tac·tu·al·ly, adverb
non·con·tact, noun, adjective
re·con·tact, noun, verb
un·con·tact·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use contact in a sentence

If people were willing to talk to contact tracers after getting an exposure notification, they could help public health experts understand the spread of disease.
Do digital contact tracing apps work? Here’s what you need to know. | Cat Ferguson | November 20, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
We now know they are a very close contact of another person who has confirmed as having been positive with Covid.
A pizza shop worker lied to contract tracers—prompting unfounded fears of a new COVID-19 strain | kdunn6 | November 20, 2020 | Fortune
Early in the pandemic, companies and governments spun up contact tracing apps as part of a massive effort to stop the spread of the disease.
Why people don’t trust contact tracing apps, and what to do about it | Lindsay Muscato | November 12, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
The New York Times contacted election officials in every state, and none reported major voting issues.
Report: Election officials find no evidence of widespread voter fraud | Benjamin Rosenberg | November 11, 2020 | Vox
The fewer number of people each Thanksgiving guest can come into contact with before attending a gathering, the better.
How to have a safer — but not safe — pandemic Thanksgiving | Brian Resnick | November 11, 2020 | Vox

Even more pernicious is this: Look at who these men are actually contacting.
Heartache by the Numbers and OkCupid’s Founder Has Got Yours | Will Doig | October 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Royalist is urgently contacting Russian Tatler to see this extraordinary document with our own eyes.
How To Fire Your Maid, By A Russian Oligarch | Tom Sykes | October 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Surveys were assessed for outliers and inconsistencies and messy data was reconciled by contacting individual schools.
The Daily Beast's Top High Schools 2014: Methodology | Brandy Zadrozny | August 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Syrian activists successfully got lawyers in New York to handle their asylum cases after contacting them through the site.
New Web Platform Crowdsources Human Rights | Josh Rogin | July 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
One, Saba Ghorab, a medical student, even began contacting hospitals and medical schools in the United States.
Her Husband Shot This 17-Year-Old Afghan Girl In The Face—And She Lived | Nina Strochlic | March 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Kent felt Liggett grasp his hand and heard him speak, the sound-vibrations coming through their contacting suits.
The Sargasso of Space | Edmond Hamilton
The possibility of contacting Omega Colony now assumes paramount importance.
Greylorn | John Keith Laumer
Possibly you will think it strange that I should have difficulty in contacting my own close relative.
"And That's How It Was, Officer" | Ralph Sholto
This stem rests in a guide at the end of a brass tube, the bulb contacting against the other end which is approximately shaped.
A Handbook of Laboratory Glass-Blowing | Bernard D. Bolas
Once more Commodore Phillips busied himself on the radio telephone, this time contacting Riverview police.
Saboteurs on the River | Mildred A. Wirt

British Dictionary definitions for contact

contact

noun(ˈkɒntækt)

the act or state of touching physically
the state or fact of close association or communication (esp in the phrases in contact, make contact)

- a junction of two or more electrical conductors
- the part of the conductors that makes the junction
- the part of an electrical device to which such connections are made
an acquaintance, esp one who might be useful in business, as a means of introduction, etc
any person who has been exposed to a contagious disease
photog See contact print
(usually plural) an informal name for contact lens
(modifier) of or relating to irritation or inflammation of the skin caused by touching the causative agent: contact dermatitis
(modifier) denoting an insecticide or herbicide that kills on contact, rather than after ingestion or absorption
(modifier) of or maintaining contact
(modifier) requiring or involving (physical) contact: the contact sport of boxing

verb(ˈkɒntækt, kənˈtækt)

(when intr, often foll by with) to put, come, or be in association, touch, or communication

interjection

aeronautics (formerly) a call made by the pilot to indicate that an aircraft's ignition is switched on and that the engine is ready for starting by swinging the propeller

Origin of contact

C17: from Latin contactus, from contingere to touch on all sides, pollute, from tangere to touch

Derived forms of contact

contactual (kɒnˈtæktjʊəl), adjective
contactually, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for contact

contact

[ kŏn′tăkt′ ]

- A connection between two conductors that allows an electric current to flow.
- A part or device that makes or breaks a connection in an electrical circuit.
Geology The place where two different types of rock, or rocks of different ages, come together.

Browse