contracts 1 of 2

noun

plural of contract
1
as in guarantees
a formal agreement to fulfill an obligation accused her of breaking their contract by not completing the decorating job on budget

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2
as in agreements
an arrangement about action to be taken a contract outlining what needed to be done by each person

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contracts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of contract
1
as in gets
to become affected with (a disease or disorder) before vaccines were invented, people lived in fear of contracting polio

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2
as in shrinks
to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter metal contracts at low temperatures

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3
as in compresses
to reduce in size or volume by or as if by pressing parts or members together contract the calf muscles in your legs

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4
as in covenants
to come to an arrangement as to a course of action the farmer contracted for delivery of the hay by the first of July

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contracts
Noun
Cellular contracts remain a significant factor in purchasing decisions, with commitments typically made annually. — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 The city typically issues RFPs during its procurement process to solicit services at a competitive price, a practice meant to curb pay-to-play politicking over city contracts. — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026 Graham Corporation has secured two US defense contracts worth more than $43 million to supply equipment for the MK48 Mod 7 heavyweight torpedo and the country’s submarine fleet. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2026 As prediction markets increasingly list contracts tied to political decisions and government activity, that information can become directly tradable. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026 Only individuals may donate, except principals of state contracts, prospective state contractors, and children under 12. — Elona Vaisnys, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026 The company offered one-year contracts for about 24,000 tons of Del Monte peaches, leaving dozens of growers without a home for thousands of acres of peaches. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 8 Aug. 2026 Other players with expiring contracts who could command interest include slugger Starling Marte and reliever John Schreiber. — Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2026
Verb
Event contracts revenue came in at $156 million in the second quarter, according to Robinhood. — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026 The department is looking to buy eight Skydio X10 drones from Axon, the same company the department contracts with to surveil cars in the city. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026 This means that immunity against other threats such as the common cold, flu or coronavirus can disappear if a person contracts measles without any existing immunity. — Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 July 2026 On Friday, an employee of the Geo Group, which contracts with ICE, shot a protestor outside the Aurora immigration detention center. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 20 July 2026 Kansas City has not had its own jail since 2009 and currently contracts out with other counties to hold detainees. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026 Is there medical help available if one contracts cyclosporiasis? — Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 July 2026 The carrier then contracts with various ground handling companies to carry out those services. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026 The federal regulator argued that the sports event contracts the markets offer are more similar to grain futures than to sports wagers, giving it exclusive jurisdiction. — Maggie Dougherty, CBS News, 26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracts
  1. guarantees
  2. agreements
  3. gets
  4. shrinks
  5. compresses
  6. bargains
  7. deals
  8. pacts
Noun
  • For Kyiv, that list likely includes respect for its sovereign rights, security guarantees, military capabilities sufficient to deter Russia, and funding for reconstruction.
    — Matt Waldman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Further, the deal does not include any marketing guarantees or baseline prints-and-advertising spends.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of guarantees
Noun
  • Judge Martinez-Olguin echoed those concerns in her ruling, noting that the new legal services agreements appeared to cover only a fraction of the services needed and failed to explain how compliance would be monitored.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The incentives can be restored now, according to the Data Center Coalition, if they’re tied to requirements for clean energy, sustainable water usage and labor agreements.
    — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of agreements
Verb
  • Things get increasingly bleak, as the family dog’s heart medicine runs out and Jason has to put him out of his misery, and then — in doomsday prepper mode — carves up the body and puts it in the freezer just in case food gets dire.
    — William Earl, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The group gets a lot of its money from leadership PACs, which are groups established by members of Congress to help support other candidates.
    — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of gets
Verb
  • Miglietta explained that the jellyfish appears to be dying and sinks to the bottom, then, like a butterfly turning back into a caterpillar, shrinks into a ball.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Vendors also need operators to install their future, which means convincing customers to adopt a model that shrinks them.
    — Jessica Beck, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of shrinks
Verb
  • The leadership structure that remains suggests companies will increasingly absorb executive responsibilities across fewer people as AI compresses the distance between strategy and execution.
    — Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • This is the step where the barista compresses the ground coffee within the portafilter to create a dense puck.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of compresses
Verb
  • The union usually bargains in the same year as performers’ union SAG-AFTRA and directors’ union the Directors Guild of America.
    — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 6 Apr. 2026
  • One potential—though untested—workaround would be for conferences, which are private entities, to serve as a joint employer that bargains with a players’ union.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Definition of bargains
Noun
  • Are the club working on multiple deals, especially for experienced players?
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The courses, Cristerna said, would have been useful in learning how to negotiate brand deals, maximize monetization opportunities and cultivate and keep an audience.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of deals
Noun
  • Paramount Skydance’s 2025 acquisition of Paramount triggered a contractual change-of-control clause that gave the NFL an opportunity to redo its CBS deal, ahead of the league’s 2029 opt-outs in its media pacts.
    — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Since the start of the free agency period, Indiana has signed Jalen Slawson and Kobe Brown to two-way contracts, and teams are permitted to have up to three players under two-way pacts at the same time.
    — Tony East, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of pacts

Browse Nearby Words

contraction
contracts
contracts (for)
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Cite this Entry

“Contracts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contracts. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of contracts for Spanish Speakers

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