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contract to shorten (a word or words) by combining, or by omitting certain letters and replacing them, usu. with an apostrophe. [1/8 definitions]
contraction a shortened form of a word or words, generally containing an apostrophe in the written form to represent missing letters. Contractions reflect the elimination of certain sounds as well as, in some cases, changes in sound and spelling, as when the vowel pronunciation changes in the case of "will not" being shortened to "won't." [1/3 definitions]