contract
Noun:
- A binding, formal agreement between two or more parties: A "contract" is a legally enforceable document or promise that outlines specific rights and obligations for those involved.
- The document itself that records such an agreement: The physical or digital record of the agreed terms.
- (In card games, especially bridge) The number of tricks a player or team commits to win: The specific bid that sets the goal for a hand.
Verb:
- To enter into a formal, binding agreement: To make a contract.
- To become smaller or tighter; to shrink: To decrease in size, volume, or scope.
- To acquire or develop something, typically something undesirable: To catch or become affected by, such as a disease or debt.
- To shorten a word or phrase by omitting letters or sounds: To form a contraction in grammar.
Noun:
- They signed a five-year contract for the supply of materials.
- The player's contract with the team expires next season.
- His bid became the contract, requiring him to take eight tricks.
Verb:
- The company contracted a local firm to handle the construction.
- Metal contracts as it cools.
- He contracted a rare virus while traveling.
- The words "do not" can be contracted to "don't".
"To contract out": To arrange for work to be done by an external party rather than by one's own employees.
- The city council decided to contract out the waste management services.
"Under contract": Legally bound by the terms of a contract.
- The actress is under contract with the studio for three more films.
"Breach of contract": The failure to fulfill the terms of a contract without a legal excuse.
- The supplier's failure to deliver was a clear breach of contract.
Contraction (n): The process of becoming smaller; a shortened form of a word or group of words.
- The contraction of the economy led to job losses.
- "Isn't" is a contraction of "is not".
Contractual (adj): Relating to or part of a contract.
- They have a contractual obligation to complete the work on time.
Contractor (n): A person or company that undertakes a contract to provide materials or labor.
- They hired a general contractor to manage the home renovation.
- Noun: Agreement, pact, deal, commitment, covenant.
- Verb (to shrink): Shrink, compress, condense, constrict.
- Verb (to acquire): Catch, develop, incur, get.
Contract in: To formally agree to participate in a scheme or arrangement.
- Employees must contract in to the new pension plan.
Contract out (of): To formally agree not to participate in something, especially a statutory scheme.
- He chose to contract out of the state pension system.
A contract on someone: A formal agreement to have someone killed (slang).
- The gangster allegedly put a contract on the informant's life.
To have your work cut out (for you): To face a very difficult task. (Note: This idiom uses "out" but is distantly related to the idea of a contracted task).
- With this tight deadline, we really have our work cut out for us.
- a variety of bridge in which the bidder receives points toward game only for the number of tricks he bid
- (contract bridge) the highest bid becomes the contract setting the number of tricks that the bidder must make
- a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law
- reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
- The manuscript must be shortened
- make or become more narrow or restricted
- The selection was narrowed
- The road narrowed
- compress or concentrate
- Congress condensed the three-year plan into a six-month plan
- make smaller
- The heat contracted the woollen garment
- become smaller or draw together
- The fabric shrank
- The balloon shrank
- be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
- He got AIDS
- She came down with pneumonia
- She took a chill
- squeeze or press together
- she compressed her lips
- the spasm contracted the muscle
- engage by written agreement
- They signed two new pitchers for the next season
- enter into a contractual arrangement