contract
noun
an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified.
have been contracting
-
present perfect progressiveof contract.present perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that began in the past, has continued continuously, and is still in progress.
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.
New-home prices in China have been contracting for three years.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
They feed this information to a small but dedicated coterie of cartographers, some of whom have been contracting with Green Trails for decades, to update old maps and prepare new ones from scratch.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2023
Services and overall business activity as measured by the PMIs have been contracting for four months.
From Reuters ● Feb. 20, 2023
Numerous department stores and other retailers that traditionally have been mainstays of shopping areas have been contracting or have failed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2018
They have been contracting this habit through all the years since the beginning of their school experience, until now it seems as inevitable as any other habitual affair.
From The Reconstructed School by Francis B. Pearson
