contractor

[kon-trak-ter, kuhn-trak-ter]

noun

1. a person who contracts to furnish supplies or perform work at a certain price or rate.

2. something that contracts, especially a muscle.

3. Bridge.,  the player or team who makes the final bid.

contractor

/ kənˈtræk-, ˈkɒntræktə /

noun

1. a person or firm that contracts to supply materials or labour, esp for building

2. something that contracts, esp a muscle

3. law a person who is a party to a contract

4. the declarer in bridge

Word History and Origins

Origin of contractor¹

From Late Latin, dating back to 1540–50; contract, -tor

Example Sentences

Participants allegedly capitalized on a martial-law ban on lawsuits against important state entities by demanding kickbacks before contractors received payment for their work.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The project's main contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation, will upgrade some 139 kilometres of road.

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“Unlike traditional contractors, we build, test and deploy our products in months, not years.”

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"It's the government IT project equivalent of ordering a renovation, discovering the contractor has made your house less functional, and then learning they charged you for a mansion."

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David Gunn, an arable farmer and agricultural contractor from near Sevenoaks in Kent, said: "Inheritance tax is going to cripple the farmers, the small family farmers."

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