definitions

contraction

[ kuh n-trak-shuh n ]
/ kənˈtræk ʃən /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR contraction ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of contracting.
the quality or state of being contracted.
a shortened form of a word or group of words, with the omitted letters often replaced in written English by an apostrophe, as e'er for ever, isn't for is not, dep't for department.
Physiology. the change in a muscle by which it becomes thickened and shortened.
a restriction or withdrawal, as of currency or of funds available as call money.
a decrease in economic and industrial activity (opposed to expansion).

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RELATED WORDS

recession, shrinkage, reduction, decrease, deflation, condensation, reducing, compression, abridgment, evaporation, confinement, lessening, abbreviation, narrowing, omission, curtailment, withdrawal, diminution, shrinking, constriction

Nearby words

contracted kidney, contracted pelvis, contractedly, contractile, contractile vacuole, contraction, contraction joint, contractive, contractively, contractor, contractual

Origin of contraction

1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin contractiōn- (stem of contractiō), equivalent to contract(us) drawn together, past participle of contrahere (see contract) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

con·trac·tion·al, adjectivenon·con·trac·tion, nouno·ver·con·trac·tion, nounre·con·trac·tion, noun

Usage note

Contractions such as isn't, couldn't, can't, weren't, he'll, they're occur chiefly, although not exclusively, in informal speech and writing. They are common in personal letters, business letters, journalism, and fiction; they are rare in scientific and scholarly writing. Contractions occur in formal writing mainly as representations of speech.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for contraction

British Dictionary definitions for contraction

contraction

/ (kənˈtrækʃən) /

noun

an instance of contracting or the state of being contracted
physiol any normal shortening or tensing of an organ or part, esp of a muscle, e.g. during childbirth
pathol any abnormal tightening or shrinking of an organ or part
a shortening of a word or group of words, often marked in written English by an apostropheI've come for I have come

Derived Forms

contractive, adjectivecontractively, adverbcontractiveness, noun
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

Medicine definitions for contraction

contraction

[ kən-trăk′shən ]

n.

The act of contracting or the state of being contracted.
The shortening and thickening of functioning muscle or muscle fiber.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for contraction

contraction

[ kən-trăk′shən ]

The shortening and thickening of a muscle for the purpose of exerting force on or causing movement of a body part. See more at muscle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for contraction

contraction

A word produced by running two or more words together and leaving out some of the letters or sounds. For example, isn't is a contraction of is not.

Note

An apostrophe is generally used in contractions to show where letters or sounds have been left out.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.