51Թ

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contraction

[kuhn-trak-shuhn]

noun

  1. an act or instance of contracting or the quality or state of being contracted.

    The contraction of the ship’s metal fastenings and consequent snapping of the wood caused cracking sounds during the cold night.

  2. a shortened form of a word or group of words, with the omitted letters often replaced in written English by an apostrophe, as e'er for ever, isn't for is not, I'd for I would.

  3. Physiology.

    1. the thickening and shortening of a muscle.

      Myosin is a protein in muscles, working together with actin to produce muscle contraction.

    2. one in an often rhythmic series of such muscular changes, especially in the wall of the uterus during labor.

      When I got to the hospital, my labor was in full force with only 10 seconds between contractions.

  4. a restriction or withdrawal, as of currency or of funds available as call money.

  5. a decrease in economic and industrial activity (expansion ).

    The contraction that became the Great Depression began in the United States and spread around the globe.



contraction

/ əˈٰæʃə /

noun

  1. an instance of contracting or the state of being contracted

  2. physiol any normal shortening or tensing of an organ or part, esp of a muscle, e.g. during childbirth

  3. pathol any abnormal tightening or shrinking of an organ or part

  4. a shortening of a word or group of words, often marked in written English by an apostrophe

    I've come for I have come

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

contraction

  1. The shortening and thickening of a muscle for the purpose of exerting force on or causing movement of a body part.

  2. See more at muscle

contraction

  1. A word produced by running two or more words together and leaving out some of the letters or sounds. For example, isn't is a contraction of is not.

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Usage

Contractions such as isn't, couldn't, can't, weren't, he'll, they're occur chiefly, although not exclusively, in informal speech and writing. They are common in personal letters, business letters, journalism, and fiction; they are rare in scientific and scholarly writing. Contractions occur in formal writing mainly as representations of speech.
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An apostrophe is generally used in contractions to show where letters or sounds have been left out.
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • contractional adjective
  • noncontraction noun
  • overcontraction noun
  • recontraction noun
  • Dzˈٰپ adjective
  • Dzˈٰپness noun
  • Dzˈٰپly adverb
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of contraction1

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Old French, from Latin DzԳٰپō-, stem of DzԳٰپō, equivalent to contract(us) “drawn together, restricted,” past participle of contrahere + -ō- noun suffix; contract, -ion
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

However, the most recent official data showed the US economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.2% in the first three months of this year, the first contraction since 2022.

From

Since the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a widespread production slowdown, the entertainment industry’s recovery has been delayed by the dual Hollywood strikes, some of the costliest wildfires in California’s history and an industry-wide contraction.

From

For some analysts the jobs figures tamped down recession fears in the wake of commerce department data this week showing a contraction in the US economy for the first time in three years.

From

The firm's latest drop in sales coincided with a contraction in the US economy, which shrank at an annual rate of 0.3% in the first three months of 2025.

From

Is it trickier to be a mentor in the media business when there is so much contraction going on?

From

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contractilitycontraction joint