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

According to court filings, Seaver previously worked for private military contractors and later provided security for Parton and her properties through his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services (SAPS), which is also a party to the lawsuit. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026

The national Democratic effort to defeat Collins kept going; now the party is spending millions on an ad hitting her for a ProPublica story about her links to a corrupt defense contractor. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026

At Lincoln Bay, Duke said their elevators sensed water and immediately went to the 10th floor, where they were locked in place and unusable until contractors cleared out the pit below. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026

Insurers generally want operating data before taking on technology-performance risk, while contractors and technology licensors are unlikely to guarantee a process that has not yet operated at commercial scale. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026

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

Rhymes for contractor

• attractor
• cofactor
• compactor
• contactor
• distractor
• extractor
• impactor
• protractor
• reactor
• redactor
• refractor
• retractor

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