contact
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The act of touching physically.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kahntaktSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɑntækt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The act of touching physically; being in close association.
“Her fingers came in contact with the light switch.”
The establishment of communication (with).
A channel for communication between groups
Someone who can be contacted, or with whom one is in communication.
by extension
A means of communication with a person, especially in the form of a telephone number.
A nodule designed to connect a device with something else.
verb
Be in or establish communication with
transitive
To touch; to come into physical contact with.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The act of touching physically; being in close association.
Used this way, contact is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Her fingers came in contact with the light switch.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “contact with …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: contact with …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use contact
- “He used his business contacts to get an introduction to the governor.”noun
- “Her fingers came in contact with the light switch.”noun
- “Litmus paper turns red on contact with an acid.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Acceleration of a chemical reaction induced the presence of material that is chemically unchanged at the end of the reaction.
Contact consisting of a conducting arm that rotates over a series of fixed contacts and comes to rest on an outlet.
A delayed type of allergic reaction of the skin resulting from skin contact with a specific allergen (such as poison ivy).
A thin curved glass or plastic lens designed to fit over the cornea in order to correct vision or to deliver medication.
A microphone designed to be used in contact with a source of sound (or with a resonating surface).
A microphone designed to be used in contact with a source of sound (or with a resonating surface).
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.