contact

1 of 3

noun

con·​tact ˈkän-ˌtakt How to pronounce contact (audio)
1
a
: union or junction of surfaces
Cooling begins when the lava makes contact with the air.
b
: the apparent touching or mutual tangency of the limbs of two celestial bodies or of the disk of one body with the shadow of another during an eclipse, transit, or occultation
c(1)
: the junction of two electrical conductors through which a current passes
(2)
: a special part made for such a junction
The camera's flash wasn't working because the electrical contacts needed to be cleaned.
2
a
: association, relationship
students and teachers in daily contact
b
: connection, communication
I lost contact with her years ago.
c
: an establishing of communication with someone or an observing or receiving of a significant signal from a person or object
radar contact with Mars
3
: a person serving as a go-between, messenger, connection, or source of special information
business contacts
4
: contact lens
She wears contacts more often than glasses.

contact

2 of 3

verb

con·​tact ˈkän-ˌtakt How to pronounce contact (audio)
kən-ˈtakt
contacted; contacting; contacts

intransitive verb

: to make contact
the point at which the two surfaces contact

transitive verb

1
: to bring into contact
2
a
: to enter or be in contact with : join
The spark contacted the gunpowder.
b
: to get in communication with
Contact your local dealer.
Is contact a verb?: Usage Guide

The use of contact as a verb, especially in sense 2b, is accepted as standard by almost all commentators except those who write college handbooks.

contact

3 of 3

adjective

con·​tact ˈkän-ˌtakt How to pronounce contact (audio)
: maintaining, involving, or activated or caused by contact
contact poisons
contact sports
contact dermatitis

Examples of contact in a Sentence

Noun Physical contact between a mother and child is very important. a disease that is spread by sexual contact Contacts between the two leaders have been frequent in recent weeks. I applied for a job at that law firm because I have a contact there. Verb For more information, contact the city's tourism office. We were able to contact them by radio. She contacted everyone on the list. Adjective Ice hockey is a contact sport.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Other sympathizers likely lived far away, limiting everyone’s ability to know each other or be in contact. Todd Spangler, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 Through trial and error, the league found that the best way to pass on tips and fixes was often through equipment and software vendors that already had a technical contact at the establishment. Joseph Menn, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Athletes competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were asked not to get in close contact with one another to stop the spread of COVID The Olympics are set to revive an old tradition — that is, providing thousands of condoms to the athletes for use during the event. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 Remove any leaves in the area where the stem is in contact with the soil. Patricia S York, Southern Living, 18 Mar. 2024 This week, Lee pulled out his phone in between putts on the practice green at Griffith Park and scrolled through his contacts on KakaoTalk, the popular Korean messaging app referenced by Fink. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 But the team then lost contact with SpaceX’s Starlink internet service as well as the tracking and data relay satellite system, according to CNN. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 Preferably with your contact information and specifics about construction, leading to the next suggestion … Assure neighbors construction won’t last forever Ambiguity is not your friend. Keith Wagstaff, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 After Terry Rozier missed a three, Cade Cunningham missed on the other end, but Jimmy Butler drove and created contact and hit two free throws to push the Heat lead to five. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
Anyone with information for police can contact Detective John Lippert at 4583@sanjoseca.gov or 408-277-4102. Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 Gould and Castro wrote that two jurors have reported that three others on the jury were contacted by Paul Stuckey, a private investigator, despite the judge’s sealing jurors’ personal information. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Entering Tuesday, the IOC had not yet been announced whether Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. CNN has contacted the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in response to the IOC’s Tuesday press release. George Ramsay, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 After that, both Timothy Kildee and the woman contacted authorities; another son living in the basement of his residence said Timothy Kildee left to go find the other man, Swanson said. Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024 Valent said his team tried contacting the organization several times over months to question their ideology and did not receive a response. Rachel Barber, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 For more information or to donate, contact Peter-Rolf Ohnstad at 760-809-1752 or email commissioner@ald22baseball.org. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 Those who paid money to the defendants can contact the state Department of Justice’s Public Protection Unit at 608-266-1852 or via email at consumerprotection@doj.state.wi.us for information on a refund. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024 Some of the more than 60 current and former Reddit workers and moderators contacted for that story described the tools developed to police bad behavior on the video and audio services as inadequate. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The most common injuries in football are strains and sprains, which happen in both contact and non-contact settings, along with dislocations, fractures and concussions. Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 Marvin Loría came off in the 80th minute due to a non-contact leg injury, holding his hamstring. oregonlive, 25 Mar. 2023 The senior guard never returned after the non-contact injury, finishing with 4 points in 9 minutes. Stephen Hawkins, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2023 The senior guard never returned after the non-contact injury, finishing with four points in nine minutes. Stephen Hawkins, Chron, 11 Mar. 2023 Redshirt sophomore quarterback Dexter Williams, whose strong arm and threat as a runner had ignited Indiana’s offense near the end of this season, left Saturday’s Old Oaken Bucket game against Purdue with an apparent non-contact injury to his right leg. Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Nov. 2022 Jeremiah Wright is still in a yellow non-contact jersey but was participating in practice. Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 20 Mar. 2023 Wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr., who was limited in Wednesday’s practice, was still wearing a red, non-contact jersey on the practice field Thursday. David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 22 Sep. 2022 Parker, who has practiced sparingly in a red non-contact jersey since training camp, and Wilson each participated in Wednesday’s practice without limitations, which is a sign that they could be cleared to play in Sunday’s season opener against the New England Patriots. Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, 8 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contact.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French & Latin; French, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin contāctus "touching, joining of surfaces, association," from contag-, variant stem of contingere "to be in contact with, arrive at, affect, fall to one's lot" + -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at contingent entry 1

Verb

derivative of contact entry 1

Adjective

derivative of contact entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1834, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Adjective

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of contact was in 1626

Dictionary Entries Near contact

Cite this Entry

“Contact.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contact. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

contact

1 of 3 noun
con·​tact ˈkän-ˌtakt How to pronounce contact (audio)
1
: a meeting or touching of surfaces
2
: the connection of two electrical conductors through which a current passes or a part made for such a connection
3
: a person one knows who has influence especially in the business or political world
our contacts in Los Angeles may be able to assist you
4
: an establishing of communication especially with someone or something distant
make contact by radio
5

contact

2 of 3 verb
con·​tact ˈkän-ˌtakt How to pronounce contact (audio)
kən-ˈtakt
1
: to bring or come into contact
2
: to get in touch or communication with
contact your local dealer for details

contact

3 of 3 adjective
con·​tact ˈkän-ˌtakt How to pronounce contact (audio)
: involving or acting upon contact
football and ice hockey are contact sports
contact insecticides
Etymology

Noun

from French contact or Latin contactus, both meaning "a touching of body surfaces," from Latin contingere "to have contact with, affect, happen," from con-, com- "with, together" and tangere "to touch" — related to contagious, contingent, tangent, tangible

Medical Definition

contact

1 of 2 noun
con·​tact ˈkän-ˌtakt How to pronounce contact (audio)
1
: union or junction of body surfaces
sexual contact
2
a
: the junction of two electrical conductors through which a current passes
b
: a special part that has been made for such a junction
3
: direct experience through the senses
loss of contact with reality
4

contact

2 of 2 adjective
: caused or transmitted by direct or indirect contact (as with an allergen or a contagious disease)
a contact allergy

More from Merriam-Webster on contact

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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