WordWeb Online

1. Becoming infected
   "the contracting of a serious illness can be financially catastrophic"
   - catching

1. Enter into a contractual arrangement
   - undertake
    
2. Engage by written agreement
   "They contracted two new pitchers for the next season"
   - sign, sign on, sign up
    
3. Bring together or compress
   "the spasm contracted the muscle"
   - compress, constrict, squeeze, compact, press
    
4. Be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
   "She contracted a chill"
   - take, get
    
5. Become smaller or draw together
   "The fabric contracted"
   - shrink
    
6. Make smaller
   "The heat contracted the woollen garment"
    
7. Compress or concentrate
   "Congress contracted the three-year plan into a six-month plan"
   - condense, concentrate
    
8. Make or become more narrow or restricted
   "The selection was contracted"
   - narrow, neck
    
9. Reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
   "The manuscript must be contracted"
   - abridge, foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, reduce

See also: contraction, contractor, contracture

Type of: acquiring, alter, assure, change, come down, decrease, diminish, employ, engage, fall, getting, hire, lessen, minify, modify, promise, reduce, shrink, sicken, tighten

Antonym: expand

Encyclopedia: Contract