contour

American  

[kon-toor] / ˈkɒn tʊər /

noun

• contours
  plural

1. the outline of a figure or body; the edge or line that defines or bounds a shape or object.

   Synonyms:

   boundary, form, configuration

2. contour line.

3. 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.

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verb (used with object)

• contours,
  present (3rd person singular)
• contoured,
  past participle,  past
• contouring
  present participle

1. to mark with contour lines.

2. to make or form the contour or outline of.

3. to build (a road, railroad track, etc.) in conformity with the contour of the land.

4. to mold or shape so as to fit a certain configuration.

   cars with seats that are contoured for comfort.

5. to apply foundation and bronzer along the natural bone structure of (the face) to create definition.

   ways to contour your nose.

adjective

1. molded or shaped to fit a particular contour or form.

   contour seats.

2. 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.

contour British  

/ ˈkɒntʊə /

noun

1. the outline of a mass of land, figure, or body; a defining line

2. 1. See contour line

   2. ( as modifier )

      a contour map

3. (often plural) the shape or surface, esp of a curving form

   the contours of her body were full and round

4. (modifier) shaped to fit the form of something

   a contour chair

5. a rising and falling variation pattern, as in music and intonation

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verb

1. to shape so as to form the contour of something

2. to mark contour lines on

3. to construct (a road, railway, etc) to follow the outline of the land

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• recontour
  verb (used with object)
• uncontoured
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contours
  plural

Participles

• contouring
  present
• contoured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• contour
  simple
• contours
  simple
• have contoured
  perfect
• has contoured
  perfect
• am contouring
  progressive
• are contouring
  progressive
• is contouring
  progressive
• have been contouring
  perfect progressive
• has been contouring
  perfect progressive

Past

• contoured
  simple
• had contoured
  perfect
• was contouring
  progressive
• were contouring
  progressive
• had been contouring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will contour
  simple
• will have contoured
  perfect
• will be contouring
  progressive
• will have been contouring
  perfect progressive

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contour contours contoured contouring

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

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

He was so close she could hear his contour feathers buzz in the wind.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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

At a gleaming hi-tech robotics research facility in Coventry last month, John Healey sought to set out the broad contours of his approach to the economy.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 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

These greats built the mecca they needed and deserved, debating its contours, wanting it to last.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

The letters not only provided irrefutable proof that the children had been with Holmes but contained geographic references that allowed Geyer to plot the broad contours of the route Holmes and the children had followed.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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

Boone’s design, patented in 1892, was narrow and curved, rather than wide and flat, allowing garments to be slipped over the board, and making it far easier to iron sleeves and contoured bodices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

This hero was contoured and svelte, wealthy and suave, a Wall Street whiz and owner of land, a man who wore Brioni suits and a Cartier family heirloom watch.

From Slate ● Nov. 28, 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

Promoted as sculpting devices, they've built a reputation for lifting and contouring but Aiza says they "do not permanently tighten skin, change skin structure, or remove fat".

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

Selfies were becoming more prevalent as social media grew, and standards of beauty hewed close to celebrity Kim Kardashian’s looks, especially in regards to eye makeup and products used for face contouring.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 7, 2026

Skye concedes that writing a memoir is a challenge, but not so much emotionally as narratively — contouring the flow and storytelling with an editor’s sharp eye.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 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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Related Words

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