contractor
Pluralcontractors
- 1A person or company that takes on the job of constructing or improving buildings.
The contractor submitted a bid to construct the apartment complex.
Local contractors renovated several historic homes in the neighborhood.
Similarbuilder
Note
Every use of the word starts with the same Latin agent noun. Late Latin contractor was built from contract-, the stem of contractus, plus the agent suffix -tor, and English took it up in the 16th century. A builder is named for the agreement, not the bricks: a contractor is someone who has contracted to do the work. That is why the word moves so easily to the hired outside worker.
- 2A person hired to do a job under a business contract, rather than as a permanent employee.
The agency brought in a contractor to cover the busy season instead of hiring permanent staff.
Many companies prefer contractors for short-term work because they require no long-term commitment.
Similarfreelancer, consultant, temp
Oppositeemployee
Note
Here the contrast is with staff, not with trades: the contractor stands outside an organization's permanent workforce. Scott Adams's Dilbert (1994) turns that gap into a joke. A highly paid contractor skips a three-hour staff meeting that "doesn't apply" to him. The contract that names the builder is, in this sense, the whole point of the word.
- 3A person or company hired to do a particular kind of work, such as electrical wiring or plumbing, on a construction project.
The mechanical contractor installed the building's entire ventilation system.
Specialty contractors bid separately for the wiring and pipe-fitting work.
Similarsubcontractor
- 4A person or company hired to look after existing facilities, such as air-conditioning systems or grounds.
The hospital relies on a contractor to keep its cooling systems running year-round.
The city pays several contractors to maintain parks and public landscaping.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of contractor apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
Borrowed from Late Latin "contractor," from "contract-," the stem of Latin "contractus," plus "-tor." It was first recorded in the 16th century.