Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person or company that agrees to provide goods or perform work at a specified price and time: A contractor is someone who formally agrees to complete a specific job, often in construction or services, for a set amount of money.
   • (Law) A party to a contract: In legal terms, a contractor is one of the parties who signs a binding agreement.
   • The player in contract bridge who makes the final bid: In the card game contract bridge, the contractor is the player who wins the auction and must try to fulfill the bid.
   • (Anatomy) A muscle or organ that contracts: A bodily structure, such as a muscle, that has the function of contracting or shortening.

Usage Examples

• Noun (General/Business):
  • We hired a contractor to renovate our kitchen.
  • The government is seeking a contractor for the new highway project.
• Noun (Legal):
  • The contractor failed to meet the obligations outlined in the agreement.
• Noun (Games):
  • As the contractor, she had to choose the trump suit.
• Noun (Anatomy):
  • The heart is a powerful contractor.

Advanced Usage

• "Independent contractor": A self-employed person or entity hired to perform work or provide services.
  • She works as an independent contractor for several tech companies.
• "Prime/General contractor": The main contractor responsible for overseeing an entire project and often hiring subcontractors.
  • The general contractor coordinated all the subcontractors on the building site.

Variants and Related Words

• Contract (n/v): The formal agreement itself, or the act of making such an agreement.
  • They signed a contract for the new house.
• Subcontractor (n): A person or firm hired by the main contractor to perform a specific portion of the work.
  • The electrical work was done by a subcontractor.
• Contractual (adj): Relating to or part of a contract.
  • They have a contractual obligation to finish by December.

Synonyms

• Builder: A person or company that constructs buildings.
• Vendor: A person or company offering something for sale, especially a trader in the street.
• Supplier: A person or organization that provides something needed.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Contractor" is a noun, so it does not have phrasal verbs. However, its root verb "contract" does.) - Contract out: To arrange for work to be done by an outside company or contractor. - The company decided to contract out its cleaning services.

Related Idioms

• "To be in the contractor's seat": To be in the position of control or responsibility for a project. (This is a less common, contextual idiom derived from the general meaning.)
  • With the new bid won, our firm is finally in the contractor's seat.

Noun

1. a bodily organ that contracts
2. (law) a party to a contract
3. the bridge player in contract bridge who wins the bidding and can declare which suit is to be trumps
4. someone (a person or firm) who contracts to build things