con|trib|ute ◆◇◇ /kəntr I bjuːt/ (contributes , contributing , contributed )
1 VERB If you contribute to something, you say or do things to help to make it successful. □ [V + to ] The three sons also contribute to the family business. □ [V n + to ] He believes he has something to contribute to a discussion concerning the uprising. [Also V ]
2 VERB To contribute money or resources to something means to give money or resources to help pay for something or to help achieve a particular purpose. □ [V n] The U.S. is contributing $4 billion in loans, credits and grants. □ [V n + to/towards ] NATO officials agreed to contribute troops and equipment to such an operation if the U.N. Security Council asked for it. [Also V ] ● con|tribu|tor /kəntr I bjʊtə r / (contributors ) N‑COUNT □ [+ to ] …the largest net contributors to E.U. funds.
3 VERB If something contributes to an event or situation, it is one of the causes of it. □ [V + to ] The report says design faults in both the vessels contributed to the tragedy. □ [V -ing] Stress, both human and mechanical, may also be a contributing factor.
4 VERB If you contribute to a magazine, newspaper, or book, you write things that are published in it. □ [V + to ] I was asked to contribute to a newspaper article making predictions for the new year. □ [V -ing] He is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair magazine. ● con|tribu|tor N‑COUNT □ [+ to ] He covers Central America and is a regular contributor to The New Yorker.
con|tri|bu|tion ◆◇◇ /kɒ ntr I bjuː ʃ ə n/ (contributions )
1 N‑COUNT If you make a contribution to something, you do something to help make it successful or to produce it. □ [+ to ] He was awarded a prize for his contribution to world peace.
2 N‑COUNT A contribution is a sum of money that you give in order to help pay for something. □ [+ of ] …charitable contributions of a half million dollars or more.
3 N‑COUNT A contribution to a magazine, newspaper, or book is something that you write to be published in it. COLLOCATIONS contribution NOUN
1
adjective + contribution : important, major, outstanding, significant; positive, solid, valuable
verb + contribution : make; acknowledge, recognize, value
2
noun + contribution : employer, pension
adjective + contribution : charitable, parental, tax-deductible, voluntary
verb + contribution : increase, pay
con|tribu|tor /kəntr I bjʊtə r / (contributors )
1 N‑COUNT You can use contributor to refer to one of the causes of an event or situation, especially if that event or situation is an unpleasant one. □ [+ to ] Old buses are major contributors to pollution in British cities.
2 → see also contribute
con|tribu|tory /kəntr I bjʊtəri, [AM ] -tɔːri/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A contributory factor of a problem or accident is one of the things which caused it to exist or happen. [FORMAL ] □ We now know that repressing anger is a contributory factor in many physical illnesses.
con|trite /kəntra I t, kɒ ntra I t/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are contrite , you are very sorry because you have done something wrong. [FORMAL ]
con|triv|ance /kəntra I v ə ns/ (contrivances )
1 N‑VAR If you describe something as a contrivance , you disapprove of it because it is unnecessary and artificial. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ They wear simple clothes and shun modern contrivances. □ Music with a tendency towards contrivance and lack of substance.
2 N‑COUNT A contrivance is an unfair or dishonest scheme or trick to gain an advantage for yourself. □ …some contrivance to raise prices.
con|trive /kəntra I v/ (contrives , contriving , contrived )
1 VERB If you contrive an event or situation, you succeed in making it happen, often by tricking someone. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] The oil companies were accused of contriving a shortage of gasoline to justify price increases.
2 VERB If you contrive to do something difficult, you succeed in doing it. [FORMAL ] □ [V to-inf] The orchestra contrived to produce some of its best playing for years.
con|trived /kəntra I vd/
1 ADJ If you say that something someone says or does is contrived , you think it is false and deliberate, rather than natural and not planned. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said. □ It mustn't sound like a contrived compliment.
2 ADJ If you say that the plot of a play, film, or novel is contrived , you mean that it is unlikely and unconvincing. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The plot seems contrived.
con|trol ◆◆◆ /kəntroʊ l/ (controls , controlling , controlled )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Control of an organization, place, or system is the power to make all the important decisions about the way that it is run. □ [+ of ] The restructuring involves Mr Ronson giving up control of the company. □ [+ over ] The first aim of his government would be to establish control over the republic's territory. ● PHRASE If you are in control of something, you have the power to make all the important decisions about the way it is run. □ Nobody knows who is in control of the club. □ In the West, people feel more in control of their own lives. ● PHRASE If something is under your control , you have the power to make all the important decisions about the way that it is run. □ All the newspapers were taken under government control.