contraction.

1. A decrease in size, length, amount, or activity.

2. A shortened word or expression formed by combining or omitting parts.

3. An instance of a muscle tightening or shortening.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• economic contraction
• thermal contraction

On the page

Economic contraction reduced demand throughout the region.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation, evaluation. Commonness: moderately common.