Meaning & use
contractor
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person or company hired to do work, especially building or construction, under a formal agreement.
Grammar: Countable; can be a person or a company. Often used with 'independent' or 'building'.
Patterns
- a building contractor
- an independent contractor
- hire a contractor
- work as a contractor
We hired a contractor to renovate the kitchen.
The contractor promised to finish the roof by Friday.
She works as an independent contractor for several tech companies.
nouncountablebusiness
A person or firm that agrees to supply goods or services under a contract.
Grammar: Countable; often used in business and government contexts.
Patterns
- a government contractor
- defense contractor
- contractor for something
The government awarded the contract to a local defense contractor.
As a contractor for the event, he was responsible for security.
Word forms
| plural | contractors |
|---|
Common combinations
- building contractor
- The building contractor inspected the site before starting work.
- independent contractor
- As an independent contractor, she pays her own taxes.
- hire a contractor
- They decided to hire a contractor to fix the plumbing.
- government contractor
- The government contractor provided security services at the airport.
Synonyms and how they differ
- builder
- Builder usually refers specifically to someone who constructs buildings; contractor is broader and can refer to any hired worker or company.
- subcontractor
- A subcontractor is hired by a main contractor to do part of the work; a contractor is the main party hired by the client.
Word family
- contract noun
- A formal written agreement between parties.
- contract verb
- To make a formal agreement; also to become smaller.
- contractual adjective
- Relating to a contract.
Commonly confused: contractor or contract?
contractor vs contract
A contract is the agreement itself; a contractor is the person or company that signs it to do the work.
Practice
The _____ we hired to build the fence did an excellent job.
Choose one answer.
Contractor is the person or company hired to do work, which fits the sentence. 'Contract' is the agreement, not the person; 'contraction' means a shortening; 'contractual' is an adjective and cannot be the object of 'hired'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contractor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.