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.
McConnell contracted polio at the age of two, which left a portion of his left leg paralysed.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday there are more than 800 confirmed cases of the food-borne intestinal illness cyclosporiasis that is typically contracted through contaminated produce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Those who have contracted cyclosporiasis have ranged in age from 5 to 86.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Space systems accounted for 67% of Rocket Lab’s revenue last year and made up more than half of its contracted backlog as of March 31.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Those who contracted MDR were left to die—as humanely as possible, because the foundation provided money for hospice care—but why, Farmer wondered, couldn’t some money be allocated to MDR?
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
