contractor

American  

[kon-trak-ter, kuhn-trak-ter] / ˈkɒn træk tər, kənˈtræk tər /

noun

contractors plural

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.

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contractor British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• contractors
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contractor contractors

SConnect denied the copyright infringement claim but accepted that some Wolfoo videos made before mid-2020 included audio from Peppa Pig because an independent third-party contractor had used the clips without the company's knowledge.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The contractor on the project, Leeding Builders Group, and the engineering firm, DeSimone Consulting Engineers, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

He had spent more than a decade remodeling homes as a general contractor and also had experience in metal fabrication from a job building race cars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

They said they were investigating a government contractor who was charged with unlawful retention of national defense information.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

He reminded of my friend Don Gabriel, the bracero who stood up to Díaz, the labor contractor, who tried to force Don Gabriel to pull a plow like an ox.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

Cornell suspended her for disrupting a career fair that included defense contractors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

"Even still, the president has urged our defence contractors to constantly produce more made-in-America weapons, which are the best in the world," the spokesperson added.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Lockheed Martin shares, and those of other defense contractors, have actually struggled since the start of the Iran war, due to disruptions in shipping products to Middle East customers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

“A lot of them are essentially independent contractors, so it’s a slightly different trajectory than someone who goes to an engineering program,” said Michael Bryant, interim provost at CalArts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Schindler renamed the company Deutsche Emalwarenfabrik, German Enamel Works, a name designed to appeal to German army contractors.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson