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Webster 1913 Edition

Contract

Con-tract′

(kŏn-trăkt′)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Contracted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Contracting
.]
[L.
contractus
, p. p. of
contrahere
to contract;
con-
+
trahere
to draw: cf. F.
contracter
. See
Trace
, and cf.
Contract
,
Noun.
]
1.
To draw together or nearer; to reduce to a less compass; to shorten, narrow, or lessen;
as, to
contract
one’s sphere of action
.
In all things desuetude doth
contract
and narrow our faculties.
Dr. H. More.
2.
To draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit.
Thou didst
contract
and purse thy brow.
Shakespeare
3.
To bring on; to incur; to acquire;
as, to
contract
a habit; to
contract
a debt; to
contract
a disease
.
Each from each
contract
new strength and light.
Pope.
Such behavior we
contract
by having much conversed with persons of high station.
Swift.
4.
To enter into, with mutual obligations; to make a bargain or covenant for.
We have
contracted
an inviolable amity, peace, and lague with the aforesaid queen.
Hakluyt.
Many persons . . . had
contracted
marriage within the degrees of consanguinity . . . prohibited by law.
Strype.
5.
To betroth; to affiance.
The truth is, she and I, long since
contracted
,
Are now so sure, that nothing can dissolve us.
Shakespeare
Syn. – To shorten; abridge; epitomize; narrow; lessen; condense; reduce; confine; incur; assume.

Con-tract′

(kŏn-trăkt′)
,
Verb.
I.
1.
To be drawn together so as to be diminished in size or extent; to shrink; to be reduced in compass or in duration;
as, iron
contracts
in cooling; a rope
contracts
when wet
.
Years
contracting
to a moment.
Wordsworth.
2.
To make an agreement; to covenant; to agree; to bargain;
as, to
contract
for carrying the mail
.

Con′tract

(kŏn′trăkt)
,
Adj.
Contracted;
as, a
contract
verb
.
Goodwin.

Con-tract′

(kŏn-trăkt′)
,
Adj.
[L.
contractus
, p. p.]
Contracted; affianced; betrothed.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Con′tract

(kŏn′trăkt)
,
Noun.
[L.
contractus
, fr.
contrahere
: cf. F.
contrat
, formerly also
contract
.]
1.
(Law)
The agreement of two or more persons, upon a sufficient consideration or cause, to do, or to abstain from doing, some act; an agreement in which a party undertakes to do, or not to do, a particular thing; a formal bargain; a compact; an interchange of legal rights.
Wharton.
2.
A formal writing which contains the agreement of parties, with the terms and conditions, and which serves as a proof of the obligation.
3.
The act of formally betrothing a man and woman.
Syn. – Covenant; agreement; compact; stipulation; bargain; arrangement; obligation. See
Covenant
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Contract

CONTRACT

,
Verb.
T.
[L., to draw. See Draw.]
1.
To draw together or nearer; to draw into a less compass, either in length or breadth; to shorten; to abridge; to narrow; to lessen; as, to contract an inclosure; to contract the faculties; to contract the period of life; to contract the sphere of action.
2.
To draw the parts together; to wrinkle; as, to contract the brow.
3.
To betroth; to affiance. A contracted his daughter to B. The lady was contracted to a man of merit.
4.
To draw to; to bring on; to incur; to gain. We contract vicious habits by indulgence. We contract debt by extravagance.
5.
To shorten by omission of a letter or syllable; as, to contract a word.
6.
To epitomize; to abridge; as, to contract an essay.

CONTRACT

, v.i.
1.
To shrink; to become shorter or narrower.
Many bodies contract by the application of cold.
A hempen cord contracts by moisture.
2.
To bargain; to make a mutual agreement, as between two or more persons. We have contracted for a load of flour; or we have contracted with a farmer for a quantity of provisions.

CONTRACT

, for contracted,
pp.
Affianced; betrothed.

CONTRACT

,
Noun.
1.
An agreement or covenant between two or more persons, in which each party binds himself to do or forbear some act, and each acquires a right to what the other promises; a mutual promise upon lawful consideration or promise upon lawful consideration or cause, which binds the parties to a performance; a bargain; a compact. Contracts are executory or executed.
2.
The act by which a man and woman are betrothed, each to the other.
3.
The writing which contains the agreement of parties with the terms and conditions, and which serves as a proof of the obligation.

Definition 2024

contract

contract

English

Pronunciation

Noun

contract ‎(plural contracts)

  1. An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
    Marriage is a contract.‎
    • 2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
      British journalists shun complete respectability, feeling a duty to be ready to savage the mighty, or rummage through their bins. Elsewhere in Europe, government contracts and subsidies ensure that press barons will only defy the mighty so far.
  2. (law) An agreement which the law will enforce in some way. A legally binding contract must contain at least one promise, i.e., a commitment or offer, by an offeror to and accepted by an offeree to do something in the future. A contract is thus executory rather than executed.
  3. (law) A part of legal studies dealing with laws and jurisdiction related to contracts.
  4. (informal) An order, usually given to a hired assassin, to kill someone.
    The mafia boss put a contract out on the man who betrayed him.‎
  5. (bridge) The declarer's undertaking to win the number of tricks bid with a stated suit as trump.

Synonyms

  • (part of legal studies): contract law
Hypernyms
  • (agreement that is legally binding): agreement
Hyponyms
  • (agreement that is legally binding): bailment
Derived terms
Translations

Adjective

contract ‎(not comparable)

  1. (obsolete) Contracted; affianced; betrothed.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
  2. (obsolete) Not abstract; concrete.
    • Robert Recorde, The Whetſtone of Witte, 1557:
      But now in eche kinde of these, there are certaine nombers named Abſtracte: and other called nombers Contracte.

Etymology 2

From Middle English, from Middle French contracter, from Latin contractum, past participle of contrahere ‎(“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”), from con- ‎(“with, together”) + trahere ‎(“to draw, to pull”). the verb developed after the noun, and originally meant only "draw together"; the sense "make a contract with" developed later.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: kəntrăkt, IPA(key): /kənˈtrækt/

Verb

contract ‎(third-person singular simple present contracts, present participle contracting, simple past and past participle contracted)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To draw together or nearer; to shorten, narrow, or lessen.
    The snail's body contracted into its shell.
    to contract one's sphere of action
    • Wordsworth
      Years contracting to a moment.
    • Dr. H. More
      In all things desuetude doth contract and narrow our faculties.
  2. (grammar) To shorten by omitting a letter or letters or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one.
    The word "cannot" is often contracted into "can't".
  3. (transitive) To enter into a contract with. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
  4. (transitive) To enter into, with mutual obligations; to make a bargain or covenant for.
    • Hakluyt
      We have contracted an inviolable amity, peace, and league with the aforesaid queen.
    • Strype
      Many persons […] had contracted marriage within the degrees of consanguinity […] prohibited by law.
  5. (intransitive) To make an agreement or contract; to covenant; to agree; to bargain.
    to contract for carrying the mail
  6. (transitive) To bring on; to incur; to acquire.
    She contracted the habit of smoking in her teens.
    to contract a debt
    • Alexander Pope
      Each from each contract new strength and light.
    • Jonathan Swift
      Such behaviour we contract by having much conversed with persons of high stature.
  7. (transitive) To gain or acquire (an illness).
    • 1999, Davidson C. Umeh, Protect Your Life: A Health Handbook for Law Enforcement Professionals (page 69)
      An officer contracted hepatitis B and died after handling the blood-soaked clothing of a homicide victim […]
  8. To draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit.
    • Shakespeare
      Thou didst contract and purse thy brow.
  9. To betroth; to affiance.
    • Shakespeare
      The truth is, she and I, long since contracted, / Are now so sure, that nothing can dissolve us.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Translations

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: con‧tract

Etymology

From Middle Dutch contract, from Old French contract, from Latin contractum, past participle of contrahō ‎(“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”).

Noun

contract n ‎(plural contracten, diminutive contractje n)

  1. contract

Synonyms

Scots

Etymology

From English contract.

Noun

contract ‎(plural contracts)

  1. contract

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French contract, from Latin contractum, past participle of contrahere ‎(“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”), from con- ‎(“with, together”) + trahere ‎(“to draw, to pull”).

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