Overview of noun contracting

The noun contracting has 1 sense

• catching, contracting -- (becoming infected; "catching cold is sometimes unavoidable"; "the contracting of a serious illness can be financially catastrophic")

Overview of verb contract

The verb contract has 9 senses

• contract, undertake -- (enter into a contractual arrangement)


• sign, contract, sign on, sign up -- (engage by written agreement; "They signed two new pitchers for the next season")


• compress, constrict, squeeze, compact, contract, press -- (squeeze or press together; "she compressed her lips"; "the spasm contracted the muscle")


• contract, take, get -- (be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness; "He got AIDS"; "She came down with pneumonia"; "She took a chill")


• shrink, contract -- (become smaller or draw together; "The fabric shrank"; "The balloon shrank")


• contract -- (make smaller; "The heat contracted the woollen garment")


• condense, concentrate, contract -- (compress or concentrate; "Congress condensed the three-year plan into a six-month plan")


• narrow, contract -- (make or become more narrow or restricted; "The selection was narrowed"; "The road narrowed")


• abridge, foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduce -- (reduce in scope while retaining essential elements; "The manuscript must be shortened")