Synonyms for contract
n., adj., and usu. for v. 16–18, 22, 23 ˈkɒn trækt; otherwise v. kənˈtræktcon·tract

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. contract

   All these words involve at least two parties, tho an engagement or promise may be the act of but one. A contract is a formal agreement between two or more parties for the doing or leaving undone some specified act or acts, and is ordinarily in writing. Mutual promises may have the force of a contract. A consideration, or compensation, is essential to convert an agreement into a contract. A contract may be oral or written. A covenant in law is a written contract under seal. Covenant is frequent in religious usage, as contract is in law and business. Compact is essentially the same as contract, but is applied to international agreements, treaties, etc. A bargain is a mutual agreement for an exchange of values, without the formality of a contract. A stipulation is a single item in an agreement or contract. A cartel is a military agreement for the exchange of prisoners or the like.

   Synonyms:
   agreement, arrangement, bargain, cartel, compact, covenant, engagement, obligation, pact, pledge, promise, stipulation

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. contractverb

   Synonyms:
   abridge, abbreviate, narrow, lessen, reduce, compress, decrease, retrench, curtail, form, agree

   Antonyms:
   expand, amplify, dilate, elongate, reverse, cancel, abandon

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. contractnoun

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

   Synonyms:
   declaration, contract bridge

   Antonyms:
   dilate, flesh out, expand, enlarge, expatiate, spread out, exposit, lucubrate, expound, elaborate

2. contract, declarationnoun

   (contract bridge) the highest bid becomes the contract setting the number of tricks that the bidder must make

   Synonyms:
   annunciation, proclamation, declaration, resolution, announcement, contract bridge, resolve

   Antonyms:
   expand, enlarge, flesh out, lucubrate, expatiate, spread out, dilate, elaborate, expound, exposit

3. contract, contract bridgeverb

   a variety of bridge in which the bidder receives points toward game only for the number of tricks he bid

   Synonyms:
   declaration, contract bridge

   Antonyms:
   lucubrate, elaborate, enlarge, exposit, dilate, expatiate, expand, spread out, flesh out, expound

4. contract, undertakeverb

   enter into a contractual arrangement

   Synonyms:
   set about, sign, take in charge, condense, concentrate, sign up, attempt, abbreviate, constrict, shorten, press, shrink, undertake, foreshorten, cut, guarantee, take on, squeeze, get, compress, reduce, take, abridge, sign on, tackle, narrow, compact

   Antonyms:
   expound, dilate, expatiate, expand, lucubrate, enlarge, spread out, elaborate, exposit, flesh out

5. sign, contract, sign on, sign upverb

   engage by written agreement

   "They signed two new pitchers for the next season"

   Synonyms:
   shorten, sign, condense, concentrate, sign up, abbreviate, constrict, narrow, press, reduce, take, undertake, bless, signalize, cut, subscribe, squeeze, get, compress, sign on, foreshorten, ratify, abridge, signalise, signal, shrink, compact

   Antonyms:
   flesh out, elaborate, spread out, expatiate, lucubrate, expand, expound, dilate, enlarge, exposit

6. compress, constrict, squeeze, compact, contract, pressverb

   squeeze or press together

   "she compressed her lips"; "the spasm contracted the muscle"

   Synonyms:
   fight, adjure, weigh, pressure, crush, narrow, thrust, get, rack, cut, pack together, foreshorten, undertake, hale, press, twitch, pack, gouge, tweet, embrace, bundle, agitate, force, pinch, shove, weight-lift, sign up, sign on, twinge, compress, urge, hug, shrink, concentrate, campaign, sign, abridge, reduce, take, condense, iron, crusade, extort, stuff, urge on, squeeze, beseech, squash, compact, constringe, exhort, wring, mash, coerce, wad, bid, push, bosom, wedge, entreat, shorten, squelch, abbreviate, conjure, constrict, press out, weightlift, iron out

   Antonyms:
   expound, spread out, expand, exposit, lucubrate, enlarge, flesh out, expatiate, elaborate, dilate

7. contract, take, getverb

   be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness

   "He got AIDS"; "She came down with pneumonia"; "She took a chill"

   Synonyms:
   sign on, read, dumbfound, occupy, subscribe to, sire, withdraw, mystify, foreshorten, lead, ingest, develop, take aim, carry, bring, assume, stupefy, have, hold, become, choose, sustain, study, learn, fill, receive, necessitate, compress, consume, go, stimulate, start out, pay off, drive, hire, engender, cut, fix, pay back, consider, sign up, rent, suffer, reduce, stick, pick out, set about, bring forth, get down, gravel, incur, draw, catch, deal, adopt, shorten, compact, remove, demand, start, set out, lease, take on, buzz off, beat, constrict, arrest, beget, take up, come, train, bewilder, strike, use up, select, take, scram, squeeze, engage, concentrate, film, make, claim, puzzle, flummox, abbreviate, generate, get hold of, exact, take away, pack, let, experience, condense, amaze, require, call for, take in, produce, vex, find, submit, convey, shrink, capture, shoot, aim, induce, direct, perplex, charter, press, obtain, begin, get, contain, father, mother, get under one's skin, subscribe, narrow, arrive, need, guide, involve, acquire, look at, postulate, abridge, grow, fetch, accept, pose, sign, admit, bugger off, undertake, cause, ask, nonplus, conduct, commence, baffle

   Antonyms:
   expand, dilate, lucubrate, enlarge, flesh out, elaborate, spread out, expatiate, exposit, expound

8. shrink, contractverb

   become smaller or draw together

   "The fabric shrank"; "The balloon shrank"

   Synonyms:
   shorten, sign, condense, concentrate, sign up, abbreviate, shrivel up, constrict, narrow, quail, flinch, funk, take, shrivel, undertake, reduce, cut, cringe, abridge, squeeze, get, compress, sign on, wince, foreshorten, recoil, squinch, wither, press, shrink, compact

   Antonyms:
   elaborate, dilate, lucubrate, expound, enlarge, expand, flesh out, exposit, expatiate, spread out

9. contractverb

   make smaller

   "The heat contracted the woollen garment"

   Synonyms:
   sign, condense, concentrate, sign up, abbreviate, constrict, shorten, press, shrink, undertake, foreshorten, cut, squeeze, get, compress, reduce, take, abridge, sign on, narrow, compact

   Antonyms:
   expound, enlarge, exposit, lucubrate, expand, dilate, spread out, flesh out, elaborate, expatiate

10. condense, concentrate, contractverb

    compress or concentrate

    "Congress condensed the three-year plan into a six-month plan"

    Synonyms:
    digest, narrow, decoct, pore, get, cut, boil down, foreshorten, centre, rivet, press, center, focus, centralise, take, sign on, sign, sign up, distil, compress, shrink, abridge, reduce, condense, concentrate, squeeze, compact, undertake, distill, centralize, shorten, abbreviate, constrict

    Antonyms:
    enlarge, lucubrate, flesh out, dilate, expound, spread out, expatiate, expand, exposit, elaborate

11. narrow, contractverb

    make or become more narrow or restricted

    "The selection was narrowed"; "The road narrowed"

    Synonyms:
    peg down, sign, condense, nail down, sign up, specialize, abbreviate, constrict, narrow, press, shrink, specialise, take, undertake, foreshorten, cut, shorten, constringe, narrow down, specify, squeeze, get, compress, sign on, abridge, concentrate, reduce, pin down, compact

    Antonyms:
    expand, spread out, dilate, elaborate, enlarge, exposit, expound, expatiate, flesh out, lucubrate

12. abridge, foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduceverb

    reduce in scope while retaining essential elements

    "The manuscript must be shortened"

    Synonyms:
    sign on, expurgate, skip, foreshorten, ignore, cut off, bowdlerize, bowdlerise, sign, reduce, hack, compress, tailor, quash, disregard, cut back, sign up, turn out, lose weight, slew, rationalise, switch off, castrate, prune, melt off, trim down, scale down, condense, shorten, compact, thin, slim down, geld, rationalize, make out, abridge, constrict, issue, narrow, take, squeeze, bring down, trim, slue, tighten, deoxidise, abbreviate, turn off, keep down, cut, subdue, cut down, dilute, burn, subjugate, get, shrink, edit, edit out, come down, repress, press, write out, thin out, swerve, boil down, snub, slenderize, trend, curve, deoxidize, sheer, concentrate, undertake, veer, decoct, slim, trim back

    Antonyms:
    enlarge, exposit, expatiate, flesh out, lucubrate, dilate, elaborate, expound, expand, spread out

Matched Categories

1. • Bid
   • Change
   • Contract
   • Decrease
   • Shrink
   • Written Agreement

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. contractverb

   Synonyms:
   lessen, shorten, narrow, diminish, abridge, reduce, epitomize, draw together

2. contractverb

   Synonyms:
   incur, bring, procure, get, assume, take upon one's self, become liable to

3. contractverb

   Synonyms:
   shrivel, shrink, shrink up

4. contractverb

   Synonyms:
   agree, stipulate, bargain, covenant, make a bargain

5. contractnoun

   Synonyms:
   compact, bargain, stipulation, covenant, convention, concordat, treaty, agreement, pact, arrangement

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. contractnoun

   Synonyms:
   agreement, compact, covenant, pact, protocol, treaty, concordat, convention, stipulation

2. contractverb

   Synonyms:
   reduce, narrow, condense, incur, acquire, covenant, agree, shrivel, shrink, syncopate

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "contract":

   contracts, contractual, agreement, contrat, market, contracting, markets, contracted, prenup, lease, marketplace, deal, treaty

How to pronounce contract?

How to say contract in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use contract in a sentence?

1. Finance Minister Felipe Larrain:

   It's a complex situation and seems to be an imprudent move, we need to check whether it's a violation of the contract or the spirit of the contract from the government's point of view. We will protect the interests of the Chilean state.

2. Bartosz Kownacki:

   We'd have to get really as much as possible from the French side to make this contract profitable for us.

3. Melanie Walsh:

   Because it was abandoned, when we first bought the home there were so many holes in the roof we had to sign our contract under umbrellas.

4. Somchai Sawangkarn:

   This NCPO order is beneficial for Thai people across the country because it prevents a monopolistic contract.

5. John F. Kennedy, "A Thousand Days," by Arthur Schlesinger Jr. [1965]:

   My father always told me that all businessmen were sons of bitches, but I never believed it till now. -- (Comment made 10 April 1962 in reaction to news that U.S. Steel was raising prices by $6 per ton, right after the unions negotiated a modest new contract under pressure from JFK to keep inflation down.)