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

/ kənˈtrækʃən /

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

contraction

/ kən-trăk′shən /

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.

Usage Note

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.

Notes

An apostrophe is generally used in contractions to show where letters or sounds have been left out.

Derived Forms

• conˈtractive, adjective
• conˈtractiveness, noun
• conˈtractively, adverb

Other Words From

• con·trac·tion·al adjective
• non·con·trac·tion noun
• o·ver·con·trac·tion noun
• re·con·trac·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of contraction¹

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

Example Sentences

University of Queensland researchers have developed a new class of oral painkillers to suppress chronic abdominal pain that is based on the peptide hormone oxytocin that drives childbirth contractions.

From Science Daily

Nayfack: When there’s a contraction overall, the first things to go are the marginalized voices.

From Los Angeles Times

While the entertainment industry at large has been hurting amid a widespread industry contraction, California has been hit particularly hard.

From Los Angeles Times

All forms of production have been sluggish to rebound amid an ongoing industry contraction that predates the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes.

From Los Angeles Times

The conflict has also had a devastating impact on Gaza's economy, which the World Bank said had contracted by 86% in the first quarter of 2024, the "largest economic contraction on record".

From BBC

Related Words

• decrease
• deflation
• recession
• reduction
• shrinkage