Contract | Mean of contract in English Dictionary

/ˈkɑːnˌtrækt/

• Noun
• a legal agreement between people, companies, etc.
1. The contract requires him to finish work by the end of the year.
2. If he breaks the contract [=if he does not abide by the agreement], he will get sued.
3. The company won a multi-million-dollar contract to build a new courthouse. = The company was awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to build a new courthouse.
4. a marriage contract [=an agreement to marry someone]
5. contract negotiations
6. contract law
• a document on which the words of a contract are written
1. I tore up the contract.
2. Have you signed the contract yet?
• an agreement to kill a person for money
1. His enemies put/took out a contract on him. [=paid someone to kill him]

• according to the terms stated in a contract
1. We are bound by contract to pay the full price.
• required to provide something (such as work or a service) according to the terms stated in a contract
1. She is under contract with the TV station for three more years.
• Verb
• to make (something) smaller or shorter
1. She contracted her lips into a frown.
2. contract a muscle
• to become smaller
1. The muscle expands and then contracts.
2. The hot metal contracted as it cooled.
• to become ill with (a disease)
1. He contracted [=(more commonly) caught] a cold.
2. She contracted chicken pox.
3. They contracted malaria.
• to make an agreement by contract to work or to pay someone to work
1. The carpenter contracted (with them) to do the work on their house.
2. We contracted [=hired] a lawyer.
• to agree to (a marriage, an alliance, etc.) formally
1. a legally contracted marriage
2. The company contracted an alliance with a former competitor.
• to agree by contract to pay someone to perform (a job)
1. The company contracted out its manufacturing jobs. [=the company paid another company to do its manufacturing jobs instead of doing them itself]