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
-
contoursimple
-
contourssimple
-
have contouredperfect
-
has contouredperfect
-
am contouringprogressive
-
are contouringprogressive
-
is contouringprogressive
-
have been contouringperfect progressive
-
has been contouringperfect progressive
Past
-
contouredsimple
-
had contouredperfect
-
was contouringprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
ACT Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Butterfly Yellow
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
During that time, people from every corner of the world online seemed to take every opportunity to scrutinize every contour of her frail frame.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
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
Sometimes, Goode included a contour drawing of the bottle behind it on the canvas, suggesting that one is the projection of the other.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025
I count contour lines and multiply by twenty.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
In reality, I’m sitting with Kelela, the electronic R&B architect whose uncompromising vision has quietly reshaped the contours of alternative music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Cien Años” played on, the elusive contours of its melody floating in the afternoon air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
This is not an earth-shattering example of the mysterious contours of human desire.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Early punctuation focused on the contours of the sentence, giving us the comma, colon, and period,” Ms. Hazrat writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The contours of class have blurred; some say they have disappeared.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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 raised her narrow, contoured eyebrows at me.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
“We started to see a lot more intensive makeup looks, with contouring and heavy eye shadow application.”
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 7, 2026
Some hail it as the future of non-invasive contouring, but others condemn it as dystopian, and say the company is making women feel more insecure.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025
Da’Vine Joy Randolph has been another red-carpet favorite with body contouring dresses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2024
The procedure became one of the most popular options in the body contouring industry.
From New York Times ● Apr. 16, 2023
Now she brought out fake eyelashes, green shadow, black liner, base, contouring brushes, eyebrow pencil, coral gloss.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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.
