contango
Americannoun
noun
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(formerly, on the London Stock Exchange) postponement of payment for and delivery of stock from one account day to the next
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Also called: carry-over. continuation. the fee paid for such a postponement Compare backwardation
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of contango
1850–55; said to be alteration of continue or contingent
Compare meaning
How does contango compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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 curve structure also strengthened, with the front end returning to backwardation after recently flipping into contango amid the ramp-up of Persian Gulf supply.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Usually, VIX futures are higher than the VIX to reflect the extra risk of holding a longer-duration contract, a condition known as contango.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026
“The curve is flirting with contango, and that alone will feed on itself, once it starts to get going and it becomes pretty abject.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
Oil futures recently slipped into a trading pattern known as contango, where oil delivered today is worth less than oil delivered several months from now.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025
It was not till he had seen a small fortune melt away in the payment of contango, that he consented to the inevitable.
From Charlotte's Inheritance by Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth)
Continuā′tion, constant succession: extension; Continuā′tion-day, the same as Contango-day, that on which contangoes are fixed.—adj.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Basking in the smiles of his Dolly, he gradually forgot stocks, shares, backwardations, and contangoes.
From Fifty-Two Stories For Girls by Miles, Alfred H. (Alfred Henry)
Let's go and chatter to Bob about contangos.
From First Plays by Milne, A. A. (Alan Alexander)
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.
