contractor

noun

con·​trac·​tor

sense 1 is usually

ˈkän-ˌtrak-tər 

sense 2 is usually

kən-ˈtrak- 

1

: one that contracts or is party to a contract: such as

a

: one that contracts to perform work or provide supplies

b

: one that contracts to erect buildings

2

: something (such as a muscle) that contracts or shortens

Examples of contractor in a Sentence

They hired a contractor to remodel the kitchen.

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, SpaceX has been ferrying astronauts to and from the space station for years as the other contractor under NASA’s space taxi program. —Byjason Ma, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2024

The city will begin taking bids from contractors in March, with construction to start in August and the pool to open in May of 2026. —Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 25 Oct. 2024

Musk, the world’s richest person, is concurrently the CEO of Tesla and defense contractor SpaceX and the owner of social network X. —Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2024

To really ramp that up would require a massive influx of resources, staffing, potentially private contractors. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin contractor "party to a contract," from Latin contrac-, variant stem of contrahere "to draw together, reduce in size, bring together, enter into (an agreement, formal relationship) + -tor, agent suffix — more at contract entry 2

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing contractor

• independent contractor

Kids Definition

contractor

noun

con·​trac·​tor ˈkän-ˌtrak-tər  kən-ˈtrak- 

: one that enters into a contract

especially : a person who contracts to perform work or provide supplies at a certain price or within a certain time

building contractor

Medical Definition

contractor

noun

con·​trac·​tor ˈkän-ˌtrak-tər  kən-ˈ 

: something (as a muscle) that contracts or shortens

Legal Definition

contractor

noun

con·​trac·​tor ˈkän-ˌtrak-tər, kən-ˈtrak- 

: one that contracts: as

a

: one that contracts to perform work or provide supplies

b

: one that contracts to erect buildings