Meaning & use
contingency group
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableformal
a team organized in advance to deal with a possible future problem or emergency.
Grammar: Countable: a contingency group, several contingency groups.
Patterns
- set up a contingency group
- a contingency group for something
- lead a contingency group
The company set up a contingency group to handle any sudden loss of power.
A contingency group was formed to plan the evacuation if the river flooded.
She was asked to lead the contingency group for the product launch.
nouncountablemilitaryformal
a small unit of soldiers or police kept ready for a situation that may develop.
Grammar: Countable and often used in military or police contexts.
Patterns
- a military contingency group
- deploy a contingency group
A military contingency group was stationed near the border.
Police commanders kept a contingency group on standby during the protests.
Word forms
| plural | contingency groups |
|---|
Common combinations
- set up a contingency group
- The hospital set up a contingency group before the storm arrived.
- a contingency group for something
- They created a contingency group for major IT failures.
- lead a contingency group
- A senior manager will lead the contingency group.
- a military contingency group
- The general sent a military contingency group to the region.
Synonyms and how they differ
- backup team
- More informal and general: it can mean any team that supports another, not only one prepared for an emergency.
- emergency team
- Focuses on responding to something that has already happened, while a contingency group plans for something that might happen.
- task force
- Usually a group formed for a specific current problem, often with members from different organizations.
Word family
- contingency noun
- A possible future event or situation that you must prepare for.
- contingent adjective
- Depending on something else; also a noun meaning a group of people representing a place or organization.
- contingency plan noun
- A plan made in case something goes wrong.
Commonly confused: contingency group or contingent?
contingency group vs contingent
As a noun, 'contingent' means a group of people sent from a larger group (a national contingent), not a team formed for emergencies.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'contingency group' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A contingency group is created to prepare for a possible problem, so option 2 fits. Option 1 describes routine business, not emergency planning. Option 3 confuses the term with a legal document. Option 4 has nothing to do with preparing for a future problem.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contingency group”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.