noun
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a person or firm that contracts to supply materials or labour, esp for building
-
something that contracts, esp a muscle
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law a person who is a party to a contract
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the declarer in bridge
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of contractor
From Late Latin, dating back to 1540–50; see origin at contract, -tor
Explanation
A contractor is someone who is hired to build something. As a contractor at a building site, it is highly recommended you keep your hard hat on at all times. When you think of contractor, you may picture construction sites; however, the word has other meanings as well. Legally, if you sign a contract to perform a specific job then you are what is known as a contractor. When there are not many full-time jobs available for workers, sometimes the only option is to become a freelance contractor, which might mean that you only work part-time or when needed.
Vocabulary lists containing contractor
The Circuit
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Structural Engineering
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -er, -or
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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.
See Examples For:
The company also retained a new antifraud contractor, Riskified.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Roebuck, then a Halliburton contractor, thought she was gorgeous.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Filippi also claims in the suit that Kettle and the then-chief financial officer cut roughly $3 million from Metrolink’s budget, affecting funds for its contractor that handled maintenance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
‘I feel tricked’: My contractor handed my $42,000 pool upgrade to a subcontractor I had already rejected.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Mr. Kincaid was a contractor and worked on island houses.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
The judge gave the parties 10 days to provide information including details about the status of the project, its contractors and its financiers.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
This account is based on records and interviews with dozens of current and former IBA officials and contractors, wedding attendees and other people in Trump Jr.’s and Kremlev’s circles.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Giese said she has been monitoring the work contractors have been doing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Among federal contractors in the S&P 500, veterans made up 2.4% of new hires in 2025, less than half of the 5.1% federal target.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The building industry was planning a banquet for contractors, real estate dealers, and real estate editors.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
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.
