contract
Appearance
Pronunciation
[change]- noun
- enPR: kŏn'trăkt
- (UK) IPA (key): /ˈkɒntrækt/, SAMPA: /"kQntr{kt/
- (US) IPA (key): /ˈkɑntrækt/, SAMPA: /"kAntr{kt/
Audio (UK) Duration: 2 seconds. (file) Audio (UK) Duration: 1 second. (file) Audio (US) Duration: 1 second. (file)
- verb
- enPR: kəntrăkt, IPA (key): /kənˈtrækt/
Audio (US) Duration: 1 second. (file) Audio (UK) Duration: 3 seconds. (file)
Noun
[change]- (countable) A contract is a legal agreement to trade goods, services and/or property. It's usually written down. [synonyms ▼]
- If you would just sign this contract, the car will be yours.
- In Japan, most worker's employment contracts last until the age of sixty.
- My father's employment contract is for forty years.
- You must look over the contract before you sign it.
Verb
[change]
Plain form |
Third-person singular |
Past tense |
Past participle |
Present participle |
- (intransitive) If something contracts, it gets smaller. [synonyms ▼] [antonym ▼]
- As the wood dries out, it contracts.
- (transitive) If you contract someone to do a job, you enter into a contract with them. [synonyms ▼]
- We've contracted a cleaning company to take care of the office.
- When there's too much work, there are a number of small firms to which we will contract it out.
- (transitive) If you contract a disease, you become sick with it.
- It's hard to understand why people risk contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
- He contracted the flu.