6 VERB If you contract a marriage, alliance, or other relationship with someone, you arrange to have that relationship with them. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] She contracted a formal marriage to a British ex-serviceman.
7 N‑COUNT If there is a contract on a person or on their life, someone has made an arrangement to have them killed. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ on ] The convictions resulted in the local crime bosses putting a contract on him.
8 PHRASE If you are under contract to someone, you have signed a contract agreeing to work for them, and for no-one else, during a fixed period of time. □ By now she was under contract to MGM and on her way to Hollywood.
▸ contract out
1 PHRASAL VERB If a company contracts out work, they employ other companies to do it. [BUSINESS ] □ [V P n + to ] Firms can contract out work to one another. □ [V P n] When Barclays Bank contracted out its cleaning, the new company was cheaper. □ [V n P ] …the trend of contracting services out rather than performing them in-house. [Also V n P + to , V P ]
2 PHRASAL VERB If a person or group contracts out of a system or scheme, they formally say that they do not want to take part in it. [BRIT ] □ [V P + of ] Employees can contract out of their employer's occupational pension scheme. □ [V P ] …a deal which converts into a pay-as-you-go service unless you contract out. SYNONYMS contract NOUN 1
agreement: It looks as though a compromise agreement has now been reached.
deaclass="underline" The two sides tried and failed to come to a deal.
pact: Last month the two countries signed a new non-aggression pact.
settlement: They are not optimistic about a settlement of the eleven-year conflict. VERB 3
constrict: Severe migraine can be treated with a drug which constricts the blood vessels.
tighten: Sofia's throat had tightened and she couldn't speak.
shorten: As they shorten, cells become more prone to disease and death.
con|trac|tion /kəntræ kʃ ə n/ (contractions )
1 N‑COUNT When a woman who is about to give birth has contractions , she experiences a very strong, painful tightening of the muscles of her womb.
2 N‑COUNT A contraction is a shortened form of a word or words. □ [+ for ] 'It's' (with an apostrophe) should be used only as a contraction for 'it is'.
3 → see also contract
con|trac|tor /kɒ ntræktə r , kəntræ k-/ (contractors ) N‑COUNT [oft n N ] A contractor is a person or company that does work for other people or organizations. [BUSINESS ] □ …a major U.S. defense contractor.
con|trac|tual /kəntræ ktʃuəl/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A contractual arrangement or relationship involves a legal agreement between people. [FORMAL ] □ The company has not fulfilled certain contractual obligations. ● con|trac|tu|al|ly ADV [usu ADV after v, ADV -ed/adj] □ Rank was contractually obliged to hand him a cheque for $30 million.
contra|dict /kɒ ntrəd I kt/ (contradicts , contradicting , contradicted )
1 VERB If you contradict someone, you say that what they have just said is wrong, or suggest that it is wrong by saying something different. □ [V n] She dared not contradict him. □ [V n] His comments appeared to contradict remarks made earlier in the day by the chairman. □ [V pron-refl] He often talks in circles, frequently contradicting himself and often ends up saying nothing.
2 VERB If one statement or piece of evidence contradicts another, the first one makes the second one appear to be wrong. □ [V n] The result seems to contradict a major U.S. study reported last November.
contra|dic|tion /kɒ ntrəd I kʃ ə n/ (contradictions ) N‑COUNT If you describe an aspect of a situation as a contradiction , you mean that it is completely different from other aspects, and so makes the situation confused or difficult to understand. □ [+ of ] The performance seemed to me unpardonable, a contradiction of all that the competition is supposed to be. □ The militants see no contradiction in using violence to bring about a religious state.
contra|dic|tory /kɒ ntrəd I ktəri, [AM ] -tɔːri/ ADJ If two or more facts, ideas, or statements are contradictory , they state or imply that opposite things are true. □ Customs officials have made a series of contradictory statements about the equipment. □ …advice that sometimes is contradictory and confusing.
contra|flow /kɒ ntrəfloʊ/ (contraflows ) N‑COUNT A contraflow is a situation in which vehicles travelling on a main road in one direction have to use lanes that are normally used by traffic travelling in the opposite direction, because the road is being repaired. [BRIT ] □ …a contraflow between Junctions Eleven and Twelve of the M5.
contra|in|di|ca|tion /kɒ ntrə I nd I ke I ʃ ə n/ (contraindications ) also contra-indication N‑COUNT [usu pl] Contraindications are specific medical reasons for not using a particular treatment for a medical condition in the usual way. [MEDICAL ] □ [+ for ] Contraindications for this drug include liver or kidney impairment.
con|tral|to /kəntræ ltoʊ/ (contraltos ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A contralto is a woman with a low singing voice. □ The score calls for a contralto. □ I had a very low contralto voice.
con|trap|tion /kəntræ pʃ ə n/ (contraptions ) N‑COUNT You can refer to a device or machine as a contraption , especially when it looks strange or you do not know what it is used for. □ Wearers use the strange contraption for facial exercises.