as in squeezing
the act or process of reducing the size or volume of something by or as if by pressing
the contracting of the time frame for the primaries tends to favor candidates who are already well-known
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in getting
to become affected with (a disease or disorder)
before vaccines were invented, people lived in fear of contracting polio
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shrinking
to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter
metal contracts at low temperatures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in compressing
to reduce in size or volume by or as if by pressing parts or members together
contract the calf muscles in your legs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bargaining
to come to an arrangement as to a course of action
the farmer contracted for delivery of the hay by the first of July
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contracting
Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
Mellencamp grew up modestly but comfortably in the idyllic town of Seymour, Indiana, the son of a mother who was an artist and nascent beauty queen, and a father who worked a white-collar job with a local electrical contracting firm.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Many of the companies already work with regional health systems and states through Medicaid contracting or mobile and telehealth operations.
—Sarah Jane Tribble, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
The bill also extends into schools and government contracting, limiting how AI tools can be used in classrooms, requiring parental opt-out options and barring certain contracts with companies tied to foreign countries of concern.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Federal contracting consultant John Myrick sought to force Moore’s hand by releasing his own detailed military records.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026
MnDOT has been utilizing this contracting method since 2016, awarding more than $91 million for 1,270 contracts to 270 small business contractors in that time.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026
No reasons were given for Moore’s termination after leading the fairgrounds for more than five years, though during her tenure the district faced costly legal disputes over contracting and employment issues.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
In this sense, reformers like Worden and Griffin were entirely correct that changing the structure of government contracting would incentivize the innovation needed to make getting to space cheaper.
—Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026
Matt Parrott, Arkansas Online, 26 Apr. 2026
In November 2024, Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Bob Blumenfield introduced a motion calling for the city to explore bypassing LAHSA and contracting directly with service providers, citing concerns about fragmentation and accountability.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
An initially massive, cold cloud of gas (normally around 50 K or so) begins contracting under its own gravity.
—Big Think, 24 Apr. 2026
The family of Stephen Nolte, a Navy veteran who died at 71 after contracting a bacterial infection following open-heart surgery at The University of Kansas Hospital, testified in Wyandotte County District Court about his life and agonizing decline.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
The Department of Public Health says 94% of children in Suffolk County are fully vaccinated against the measles, and those who are vaccinated are at low risk of contracting the disease.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
This past yearthe number of pregnant and breastfeeding women starting PrEP, which is medication given to prevent someone from contracting HIV, grew.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026
The city began contracting with Fireworks America in 1995 for the annual pyrotechnic show known as the July 4th Fireworks, the staff report states.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Adults have less of a chance of contracting the virus.
—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
One exercise involved lightly pressing down on the abdomen in specified areas surrounding the belly button, while the other required contracting the hips in a bridge motion.
—Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
Mellencamp grew up modestly but comfortably in the idyllic town of Seymour, Indiana, the son of a mother who was an artist and nascent beauty queen, and a father who worked a white-collar job with a local electrical contracting firm.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Many of the companies already work with regional health systems and states through Medicaid contracting or mobile and telehealth operations.
—Sarah Jane Tribble, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
The bill also extends into schools and government contracting, limiting how AI tools can be used in classrooms, requiring parental opt-out options and barring certain contracts with companies tied to foreign countries of concern.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Federal contracting consultant John Myrick sought to force Moore’s hand by releasing his own detailed military records.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026
MnDOT has been utilizing this contracting method since 2016, awarding more than $91 million for 1,270 contracts to 270 small business contractors in that time.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026
No reasons were given for Moore’s termination after leading the fairgrounds for more than five years, though during her tenure the district faced costly legal disputes over contracting and employment issues.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
In this sense, reformers like Worden and Griffin were entirely correct that changing the structure of government contracting would incentivize the innovation needed to make getting to space cheaper.
—Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
The lips are pursed and air is forced out of the lungs by contracting the core muscles.
—Matt Parrott, Arkansas Online, 26 Apr. 2026
In November 2024, Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Bob Blumenfield introduced a motion calling for the city to explore bypassing LAHSA and contracting directly with service providers, citing concerns about fragmentation and accountability.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
An initially massive, cold cloud of gas (normally around 50 K or so) begins contracting under its own gravity.
—Big Think, 24 Apr. 2026
The family of Stephen Nolte, a Navy veteran who died at 71 after contracting a bacterial infection following open-heart surgery at The University of Kansas Hospital, testified in Wyandotte County District Court about his life and agonizing decline.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
The Department of Public Health says 94% of children in Suffolk County are fully vaccinated against the measles, and those who are vaccinated are at low risk of contracting the disease.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
This past yearthe number of pregnant and breastfeeding women starting PrEP, which is medication given to prevent someone from contracting HIV, grew.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026
The city began contracting with Fireworks America in 1995 for the annual pyrotechnic show known as the July 4th Fireworks, the staff report states.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Adults have less of a chance of contracting the virus.
—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contracting
Noun
-
Concacaf is not the only confederation squeezing games into FIFA windows around the club calendar.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Hassan’s team instead squeezed a photon’s intensity and demonstrated real-time control, fluctuating between intensity and phase-squeezing by adjusting the silica’s position relative to the beams.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Plane tickets are getting pricier After jumping to $209 a barrel in early April, the global price of jet fuel eased last week to around $179, still well above the roughly $99 at the end of February.—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Since getting sober, Holland's life has been a whirlwind.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Hospitals also have struggled for decades with Medicaid rates that cover an ever-shrinking share of the cost of treating poor patients.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Software headcount is shrinking.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His music is, in the best sense, grown-up, proof that a gifted songwriter can tackle the headiest, heaviest topics, compressing a novel’s worth of ideas, intelligence, irony, urbanity, humor and ambivalence into four minutes.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
De Pablo notes that AI is compressing timelines dramatically.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The two parties have been in a standoff for several weeks now, essentially since mid-March when the writers began bargaining with the major studios on a new film and TV contract.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Both labor groups, plus the police and fire unions, are currently bargaining with city leaders over new multi-year contracts.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One paramedic began chest compressions, pushing hard and steady on the patient’s chest.—
Ciara McCarthy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Plus, the textured shell helps resist scuffs, and the interior is thoughtfully laid out with mesh pockets and compression straps to keep everything in place.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Chicago White Sox have been searching for offensive production from the catching position.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Sophomore Nate Roberts is a 6-5, 240-pounder who has blocking experience and showed off versatility catching passes in the spring.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
These changes were to be achieved by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreasing the consumption of meat and eggs, and substituting nonfat milk for whole milk.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In addition, federal funding is decreasing.—
Kristina Rex,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contracting. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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