Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contracted
Explanation
Something contracted has shrunk or become smaller. Your pupils tend to be contracted in bright sunlight. Contracted is an adjective that usually describes physical things. If your eyebrows look contracted, they are probably furrowed and scrunched up. If your tummy is contracted, it is probably drawn in and flat. Economies and budgets can also be contracted, if they have undergone the painful process of shrinking. If your belly is contracted, buy a bikini. If your budget is contracted, you are better off not buying anything.
Vocabulary lists containing contracted
"Watership Down" by Richard Adams, Chapter 43-Epilogue
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Stories of Ourselves
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Hunting by Stars
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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.
More than 80 percent of programs contained information that was either seriously misleading or straight-up wrong, including that HIV can be contracted by sweat and tears and that condoms are ineffective.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Yates, 33, has been a loyal domestique to Pogacar since 2023, and is contracted for another two seasons.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Chip and machinery exports, along with investment in research and software development, sustained solid growth in the second quarter, while private consumption weakened and construction investment contracted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The company reported $29 billion in remaining performance obligations, a measure of contracted business yet to be recognized as revenue.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
As Rajesh’s mind was expanding to its brittle extreme, Jagu’s contracted silently in his room.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
