VocabauraVOCABAURA

contracting

noun · adjective

Simple meaning

Getting smaller; drawing itself together into a smaller area.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kahntrakting

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkɑntɹæktɪŋ

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. Work done on a contract basis.

  2. The act of something that contracts or shrinks; contraction.

adjective

  1. Getting smaller; drawing itself together into a smaller area.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Word Aura is being prepared for this meaning.

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “contracting”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

contracting partycontracting statehigh contractingcontracting officertwo contractinggovernment contractingcontracting businesscontracting muscle

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • contractnounBase word

    A binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • contractornounPerson or profession

    Someone (a person or firm) who contracts to build things.

  • contractualadjectiveDerived adjective

    Related to Work done on a contract basis.

  • contractuallyadverbDerived adverb

    By virtue of a contract.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “contracting” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

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.