contract
noun
an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified.
have contracted
-
present perfectof contract.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
"The hospital said she could have contracted it 20 or 30 years before," said her younger sister Helen.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
At least 345 people, mostly in Colorado and Minnesota, have contracted salmonella as part of this outbreak, as of Aug. 4, the latest update provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
There have been at least two infants who have contracted measles so far this year in California — both of whom traveled internationally before falling ill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Of the 322 people suspected to have contracted Ebola in Mongbwalu -- where many of the outbreak's first cases were recorded -- 88 have died, according to the latest toll from the authorities.
From Barron's ● May 24, 2026
Besides that, our potatoes have contracted such strange diseases that one out of every two buckets of pommes de terre winds up in the garbage.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
