CONTRACTS Synonyms: 150 Similar and Opposite Words

contracts 1 of 2

noun

plural of contract

as in guarantees

a formal agreement to fulfill an obligation accused her of breaking their contract by not completing the decorating job on budget

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as in agreements

an arrangement about action to be taken a contract outlining what needed to be done by each person

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contracts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of contract

as in gets

to become affected with (a disease or disorder) before vaccines were invented, people lived in fear of contracting polio

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as in shrinks

to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter metal contracts at low temperatures

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as in compresses

to reduce in size or volume by or as if by pressing parts or members together contract the calf muscles in your legs

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as in covenants

to come to an arrangement as to a course of action the farmer contracted for delivery of the hay by the first of July

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of contracts

Noun

Basis trades are an arbitrage bet in which hedge funds are positioned long in cash Treasurys while shorting their corresponding futures contracts, with the aim of profiting from the price gap. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026 Again, two-way contracts can be swapped out at any time, with such salaries not counting against the salary cap. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026 Uthmeier ultimately intervened, arguing that such contracts treat children as property. — Kimberly Bird, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026 With a pending lockout, expiring player contracts and possible retirements, who knows what the future will hold. — Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 The three players who the Heat currently has signed to two-way contracts ate Tre Donaldson, Vlad Goldin and Keshad Johnson. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 Prospective owners don't just want revenue from ticket sales and television contracts. — Matt Calkins Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026 International funding, Patil says, means long waits, complicated contracts and co-production treaties, and Indian filmmakers end up chasing the same grants as professionals from wealthier countries. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, Smith said, Open Doors’ saw its contracts stalled, leading the organization to eat into its reserves and go into debt. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026

Verb

The security stance isn't surprising given that SpaceX also contracts with the US government and military. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026 That’s about $1,000 cheaper than its current lineup, and also the company’s first-ever foldable device that contracts to roughly half its size. — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026 Meet the man saving Nashville’s sick foxes Florida contracts professional python hunters. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026 Homer Glen contracts with the Will County sheriff for its police services. — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026 While the city contracts its permitting services to FilmLA, Kang is currently the only local official tasked with coordinating between FilmLA, the city, and the dozens of other regional jurisdictions in the area. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026 Amazon contracts 21 Air as a third-party crew, maintenance and insurance provider. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026 Fewer than 10 people typically die of the illness each year, but nearly everyone who contracts it dies, according to the CDC. — Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2026 Flock also contracts with businesses, schools and neighborhoods. — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracts

Noun

Good luck enforcing Potemkin guarantees from hyperscalers or arguing that local protests excuse a construction delay that blew a hole in the financing.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026
For Hoffman, the evening’s results were encouraging but not necessarily conclusive, and the extensive use of guarantees should be taken with a grain of salt.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of guarantees

Noun

The latest agreements secure suppliers for two important aircraft systems, but Vertical must still complete development, integration, and regulatory certification before Valo can enter commercial service.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
RPOs are agreements to provide services that a company knows it will be paid for in the future—the revenue simply hasn’t been delivered yet.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of agreements

Verb

The simple industrial design gets a neat little accent in the form of a physical knob for adjusting playback, track navigation, and volume.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
This part of South America often gets heavy rain during El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon in which warmer-than-usual waters in the Pacific Ocean scramble weather patterns around the world.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of gets

Verb

That offset shrinks to only 38mm when installing a 280mm radiator kit.

— Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 2026
Since rates are computed by dividing the number of cases by the population at risk in a specified time period, then by definition, if the number of cases stays the same but the size of the denominator shrinks, the rates will be higher.

— Nancy Krieger, STAT, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of shrinks

Verb

Deal teams that prepare before a potential transaction (something my company has created a checklist for) can gain an advantage as technology compresses timelines.

— Rusty Wiley, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Much like an engine compresses fuel before ignition, FLARE first assembles the fuel to high density before delivering a separate, rapid burst of energy to trigger fusion.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of compresses

Verb

The union usually bargains in the same year as performers’ union SAG-AFTRA and directors’ union the Directors Guild of America.

— Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 6 Apr. 2026
One potential—though untested—workaround would be for conferences, which are private entities, to serve as a joint employer that bargains with a players’ union.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Mar. 2026

Definition of bargains

Noun

Niinami was a dynamic, â€œhands-onâ€� leader, integrating deals like the 2014 acquisition of Jim Beam bourbon while family chairman Nobutada Saji â€œkept our corporate culture,â€� Torii says.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Creator deals unveiled at the market included Endemol Shine Brasil’s pact with Latino creator house Grupo Podpah.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of deals

Noun

O’Connor will also be the BA team leader focused on first-look deals and overall pacts.

— Peter White, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
Business also soared with ticket revenue up more than 25% and an annual sponsorship bump of $26 million, thanks to new pacts with Xfinity and Bank of America, as well as multiple extensions.

— Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 29 Sep. 2026