con·tact
(kŏn′tăkt′)n.
1.
a. A coming together or touching, as of objects or surfaces.
b. The state or condition of touching or of immediate proximity: Litmus paper turns red on contact with an acid.
2.
a. Connection or interaction; communication: still in contact with my former employer.
b. Visual observation: The pilot made contact with the ship.
c. Association; relationship: came into contact with new ideas at college.
3. A person who might be of use; a connection: The reporter met with her contact at the mayor's office.
4.
a. A connection between two conductors that permits a flow of current or heat.
b. A part or device that makes or breaks such a connection.
5. Medicine A person recently exposed to a contagious disease, usually through close association with an infected individual.
6. A contact lens.
v. (kŏn′tăkt′, kən-tăkt′) con·tact·ed, con·tact·ing, con·tacts
v.tr.
1. To get in touch with; communicate with: "This past January I was contacted by a lawyer who said he needed my help" (Elizabeth Loftus).
2.
a. To come into contact with: "The [golf] club head did not produce a comforting click as it contacted the ball" (John Garrity).
b. To make contact with; touch or strike: Players may contact the ball only once on a volley.
v.intr.
To be in or come into contact.
adj.
1. Of, sustaining, or making contact.
2. Caused or transmitted by touching: a contact skin rash.
[Latin contāctus, from past participle of contingere, to touch : com-, com- + tangere, to touch; see tag- in Indo-European roots.]
con·tac′tu·al (kən-tăk′cho͞o-əl) adj.
con·tac′tu·al·ly adv.
Usage Note: The verb contact is a classic example of a verb that was made from a noun and of a new usage that was initially frowned upon. The noun meaning "the state or condition of touching" is first recorded in 1626 in the writing of Francis Bacon. Some 200 years later it spawned a verb meaning "to bring or place in contact." This sense of the verb has lived an unremarkable life in technical contexts. It was only in the first quarter of the 20th century that contact came to be used to mean "to communicate with," and soon afterward the controversy began. Contact was declared to be properly a noun, not a verb—and besides, it was argued, as a verb it was vague. Neither of these arguments holds water. Turning nouns into verbs is one of the most routine ways in which new verbs enter English. The examples are countless and familiar. Curb, date, elbow, interview, panic, and park are but a few. The verb contact is but another instance of what linguists call functional shift from one part of speech to another. As for the vagueness of contact, this seems a virtue in an age in which forms of communication have proliferated. The sentence We will contact you when your application has been processed allows for a variety of possible ways to communicate: by mail, telephone, email, or fax. The usefulness and popularity of this verb has worn down resistance to it. In 1969, only 34 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the use of contact as a verb, but in 1988, 65 percent of the Panel accepted it in the sentence She immediately called an officer at the Naval Intelligence Service, who in turn contacted the FBI. In 2004, fully 94 percent accepted contact in this same sentence. See Usage Note at impact.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
contact
n
1. the act or state of touching physically
2. the state or fact of close association or communication (esp in the phrases in contact, make contact)
3. (Electronics)
a. a junction of two or more electrical conductors
b. the part of the conductors that makes the junction
c. the part of an electrical device to which such connections are made
4. an acquaintance, esp one who might be useful in business, as a means of introduction, etc
5. (Pathology) any person who has been exposed to a contagious disease
6. (Photography) photog See contact print
7. (Medicine) (usually plural) an informal name for contact lens
8. (Pathology) (modifier) of or relating to irritation or inflammation of the skin caused by touching the causative agent: contact dermatitis.
9. (Agriculture) (modifier) denoting an insecticide or herbicide that kills on contact, rather than after ingestion or absorption
10. (modifier) of or maintaining contact
11. (modifier) requiring or involving (physical) contact: the contact sport of boxing.
vb
(when: intr, often foll by with) to put, come, or be in association, touch, or communication
interj
(Aeronautics) aeronautics (formerly) a call made by the pilot to indicate that an aircraft's ignition is switched on and that the engine is ready for starting by swinging the propeller
[C17: from Latin contactus, from contingere to touch on all sides, pollute, from tangere to touch]
contactual adj
conˈtactually adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
con•tact
(ˈkɒn tækt)n.
1. the act or state of touching; a touching or meeting, as of two things or people.
2. immediate proximity or association.
3. the act or state of being in communication.
4. a person one knows through whom one can gain access to information, favors, influential people, etc.
5. a junction of electric conductors, usu. metal, that controls current flow, often completing or interrupting a circuit.
6. the interface, generally a planar surface, between geologic strata that differ in lithology or age.
7. a person who has lately been exposed to an infected person.
v.t. 9. to put or bring into contact.
10. to communicate with: We'll contact you by phone.
v.i. 11. to enter into or be in contact.
adj. 12. involving or produced by touching or proximity: a contact allergy.
[1620–30; < Latin contāctus act of touching]
con`tact•ee′, n.
con•tac•tu•al (kɒnˈtæk tʃu əl) adj.
con•tac′tu•al•ly, adv.
usage: Many verbs in English have derived from nouns. One can head an organization or toe the mark; butter the bread or bread the cutlet. Grammatically at least, there is no justification for the once frequently heard criticism of contact used as a verb, esp. in the meaning “to communicate with.” Probably because there is no other one-word verb in the language to express this particular idea, contact as a verb has become standard in all types of speech and writing.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
con·tact
(kŏn′tăkt′)1. Electricity
a. A connection between two conductors that allows an electric current to flow.
b. A part or device that makes or breaks a connection in an electrical circuit.
2. Geology The place where two different geological layers or rocks come together.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
contact
- Its underlying notion is "touching," from Latin tangere, "touch."See also related terms for touching.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
contact
1. In air intercept, a term meaning, "Unit has an unevaluated target."
2. In health services, an unevaluated individual who is known to have been sufficiently near an infected individual to have been exposed to the transfer of infectious material.
2. In health services, an unevaluated individual who is known to have been sufficiently near an infected individual to have been exposed to the transfer of infectious material.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
contact
Past participle: contacted
Gerund: contacting
| Imperative |
|---|
| contact |
| contact |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  contact - close interaction; "they kept in daily contact"; "they claimed that they had been in contact with extraterrestrial beings"interaction - a mutual or reciprocal action; interacting brush - contact with something dangerous or undesirable; "I had a brush with danger on my way to work"; "he tried to avoid any brushes with the police" eye contact - contact that occurs when two people look directly at each other; "a teacher should make eye contact with the students" placement - contact established between applicants and prospective employees; "the agency provided placement services" |
| 2. | contact - the act of touching physically; "her fingers came in contact with the light switch" touching, touch - the act of putting two things together with no space between them; "at his touch the room filled with lights" fair ball - (baseball) a ball struck with the bat so that it stays between the lines (the foul lines) that define the width of the playing field snick - a glancing contact with the ball off the edge of the cricket bat laying on - the act of contacting something with your hand; "peonies can be blighted by the laying on of a finger" | |
| 3. | contact - the state or condition of touching or of being in immediate proximity; "litmus paper turns red on contact with an acid" connectedness, connection, link - the state of being connected; "the connection between church and state is inescapable" osculation - (mathematics) a contact of two curves (or two surfaces) at which they have a common tangent tangency - the state of being tangent; having contact at a single point or along a line without crossing | |
| 4. |  contact - the physical coming together of two or more things; "contact with the pier scraped paint from the hull"collision, hit - (physics) a brief event in which two or more bodies come together; "the collision of the particles resulted in an exchange of energy and a change of direction" interlocking, meshing, mesh, engagement - contact by fitting together; "the engagement of the clutch"; "the meshing of gears" flick - a light sharp contact (usually with something flexible); "he gave it a flick with his finger"; "he felt the flick of a whip" impact - the striking of one body against another | |
| 5. |  contact - a person who is in a position to give you special assistance; "he used his business contacts to get an introduction to the governor"representative - a person who represents others | |
| 6. | contact - a channel for communication between groups; "he provided a liaison with the guerrillas" communication channel, channel, line - (often plural) a means of communication or access; "it must go through official channels"; "lines of communication were set up between the two firms" | |
| 7. | contact - (electronics) a junction where things (as two electrical conductors) touch or are in physical contact; "they forget to solder the contacts" breaker point, distributor point, point - a contact in the distributor; as the rotor turns its projecting arm contacts them and current flows to the spark plugs electrical contact - contact that allows current to pass from one conductor to another junction, conjunction - something that joins or connects p-n junction - the junction between a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor; "a p-n junction has marked rectifying characteristics" short circuit, short - accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference sound bow - contact (the part of a bell) against which the clapper strikes terminal, pole - a contact on an electrical device (such as a battery) at which electric current enters or leaves tread - the part (as of a wheel or shoe) that makes contact with the ground contact arm, wiper arm, wiper - contact consisting of a conducting arm that rotates over a series of fixed contacts and comes to rest on an outlet electronics - the branch of physics that deals with the emission and effects of electrons and with the use of electronic devices | |
| 8. |  contact - a communicative interaction; "the pilot made contact with the base"; "he got in touch with his colleagues"communicating, communication - the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information; "they could not act without official communication from Moscow" | |
| 9. |  contact - a thin curved glass or plastic lens designed to fit over the cornea in order to correct vision or to deliver medicationlens, lens system, lense - a transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images | |
| Verb | 1. | contact - be in or establish communication with; "Our advertisements reach millions"; "He never contacted his children after he emigrated to Australia" communicate, intercommunicate - transmit thoughts or feelings; "He communicated his anxieties to the psychiatrist" ping - send a message from one computer to another to check whether it is reachable and active; "ping your machine in the office" ping - contact, usually in order to remind of something; "I'll ping my accountant--April 15 is nearing" raise - establish radio communications with; "They managed to raise Hanoi last night" |
| 2. |  contact - be in direct physical contact with; make contact; "The two buildings touch"; "Their hands touched"; "The wire must not contact the metal cover"; "The surfaces contact at this point"spread over, cover - form a cover over; "The grass covered the grave" cling, cohere, adhere, cleave, stick - come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation; "The dress clings to her body"; "The label stuck to the box"; "The sushi rice grains cohere" attach - be attached; be in contact with hug - fit closely or tightly; "The dress hugged her hips" butt against, butt on, abut, adjoin, edge, border, march - lie adjacent to another or share a boundary; "Canada adjoins the U.S."; "England marches with Scotland" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
contact
noun
1. communication, link, association, connection, correspondence, intercourse Opposition leaders are denying any contact with the government in Kabul.
2. touch, contiguity Hepatitis B virus is spread by contact with infected blood.
3. connection, colleague, associate, liaison, acquaintance, confederate Her business contacts described her as 'a very determined lady'.
verb
1. get or be in touch with, call, reach, approach, phone, ring (up) (informal, chiefly Brit.), write to, speak to, communicate with, get hold of, touch base with (U.S. & Canad. informal) When she first contacted me, she was upset.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
contact
noun1. A coming together so as to be touching:
2. A situation allowing exchange of ideas or messages:
3. An acquaintance who is in a position to help:
1. To bring into or make contact with:
2. To succeed in communicating with:
Idioms: catch up with , get hold of, get in touch with, get through to, get to.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إتِّصالاِتِّصَالتَماس كَهْرُبائي، مُلامَسَهحامِل أو ناقِل المَرَضشَخْص لَهُ أهَمِّيَّه
kontaktspojeníspojit se sstykstyky
kontaktkontaktesmittebærerforbindelse
kontaktikoskeakosketusottaa yhteyttäyhteys
kontaktkontaktirati
akivel érintkezett vkikapcsolatba lépösszekötő
rofi, tengi, tengillsambandsamband, samböndsamband, tengillsetja í samband
お問い合わせ接点接続する接触接触する
연락하다접촉
infekcijos nešiotojaskontaktaskontaktiniai lęšiaipažintissąlytis
baciļu nēsātājskontaktspazīšanāssakarisakars
contactalegătură
podozrivý z nákazyznámosť
stik
kontaktkontakta
การติดต่อติดต่อ
liên hệsự liên hệ
contact
[ˈkɒntækt]A. N
2. (= communication) → comunicación f
to be in contact with sth/sb → estar en contacto con algo/algn
to get into contact with → ponerse en contacto con
to lose contact (with sb) → perder el contacto (con algn)
to make contact (with sb) → ponerse en contacto (con algn)
I seem to make no contact with him → me resulta imposible comunicar con él
see also radio D
to be in contact with sth/sb → estar en contacto con algo/algn
to get into contact with → ponerse en contacto con
to lose contact (with sb) → perder el contacto (con algn)
to make contact (with sb) → ponerse en contacto (con algn)
I seem to make no contact with him → me resulta imposible comunicar con él
see also radio D
4. (= personal connection) → relación f (pej) → enchufe m, cuña f (LAm), hueso m (Mex) , muñeca f (S. Cone) ; (= intermediary) → contacto m
he has a lot of contacts → tiene muchas relaciones
business contacts → relaciones fpl comerciales
he rang up one of his business contacts → llamó a uno de sus colegas comerciales
you have to have a contact in the business → hay que tener un buen enchufe en el negocio
he's got good contacts → tiene buenas relaciones
he has a lot of contacts → tiene muchas relaciones
business contacts → relaciones fpl comerciales
he rang up one of his business contacts → llamó a uno de sus colegas comerciales
you have to have a contact in the business → hay que tener un buen enchufe en el negocio
he's got good contacts → tiene buenas relaciones
5. = contact lens
B. VT (gen) → contactar con, ponerse en contacto con; (by telephone etc) → comunicar con
where can we contact you? → ¿cómo podemos ponernos en contacto contigo?, ¿dónde podemos encontrarte?
where can we contact you? → ¿cómo podemos ponernos en contacto contigo?, ¿dónde podemos encontrarte?
C. CPD contact adhesive N → adhesivo m de contacto
contact breaker N (Elec) → interruptor m
contact details NPL → información fsing de contacto
contact lens N → lente f de contacto, lentilla f
contact man N → intermediario m
contact number N → número msing de contacto
contact print N → contact m
contact breaker N (Elec) → interruptor m
contact details NPL → información fsing de contacto
contact lens N → lente f de contacto, lentilla f
contact man N → intermediario m
contact number N → número msing de contacto
contact print N → contact m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
contact
[kənˈtækt] n
(= communication) → contact m
to be in contact with sb → être en contact avec qn
I'm in contact with her → Je suis en contact avec elle.
to be in contact with sth → être en contact avec qch
to make contact with sb (= get in touch) → se mettre en contact avec qn
to lose contact with sb (= lose touch) → ne plus être en contact avec qn
to be in contact with sb → être en contact avec qn
I'm in contact with her → Je suis en contact avec elle.
to be in contact with sth → être en contact avec qch
to make contact with sb (= get in touch) → se mettre en contact avec qn
to lose contact with sb (= lose touch) → ne plus être en contact avec qn
[ˈkɒntækt] vt (= make contact with) → se mettre en contact avec, se mettre en rapport avec; (by phone) → joindre
Where can we contact you? → Où pouvons-nous vous joindre?
Contact the Tourist Office for further details
BUT Adressez-vous au syndicat d'initiative pour plus de détails.contact address n → adresse fcontact centre (British) contact center (US) n → centre m de contactcontact details n → coordonnées fplcontact lens n → lentille f de contact, verre m de contactcontact number n → numéro m de téléphonecontact sport n → sport m de contact
Where can we contact you? → Où pouvons-nous vous joindre?
Contact the Tourist Office for further details
BUT Adressez-vous au syndicat d'initiative pour plus de détails.contact address n → adresse fcontact centre (British) contact center (US) n → centre m de contactcontact details n → coordonnées fplcontact lens n → lentille f de contact, verre m de contactcontact number n → numéro m de téléphonecontact sport n → sport m de contact
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
contact
n
→ Kontakt m; (= touching also) → Berührung f; (= communication also) → Verbindung f; to be in contact with somebody/something (= be touching) → jdn/etw berühren; (= in communication) → mit jdm/etw in Verbindung or Kontakt stehen; to keep in contact with somebody → mit jdm in Kontakt bleiben; to come into contact with somebody/something (lit, fig) → mit jdm/etw in Berührung kommen; with disease carrier also → mit jdm in Kontakt kommen; he has no contact with his family → er hat keinen Kontakt zu seiner Familie; frequent contact with death → häufige Berührung mit dem Tod; on contact with air/water → wenn es mit Luft/Wasser in Berührung kommt; I’ll get in contact → ich werde mich melden (inf), → ich werde von mir hören lassen; I’ll get in(to) contact with you → ich werde mich mit Ihnen in Verbindung setzen; how can we get in(to) contact with him? → wie können wir ihn erreichen?; to make contact (two things) → sich berühren; (wires, wheels etc) → in Berührung or Kontakt (miteinander) kommen; (two people, = get in touch) → sich miteinander in Verbindung setzen; (by radio etc) → eine Verbindung herstellen; (psychologically) → Kontakt bekommen; he could make contact by radio → er konnte sich durch Funk in Verbindung setzen; as soon as the glue makes contact (with the surface) → sobald der Klebstoff mit der Fläche in Berührung or Kontakt kommt; to make contact with somebody/something (= touch) → jdn/etw berühren, mit jdm/etw in Berührung kommen; (wire, wheels etc also) → mit jdm/etw in Kontakt kommen; (= get in touch with) → sich mit jdm/etw in Verbindung setzen; (psychologically) → Kontakt zu jdm/etw bekommen; I finally made contact with him at his office → ich habe ihn schließlich im Büro erreicht; to lose contact (with somebody/something) → den Kontakt or die Verbindung (zu jdm/etw) verlieren; point of contact (Math, fig) → Berührungspunkt m
(Elec) (= act) → Kontakt m; (= equipment) → Kontakt- or Schaltstück nt; to make/break contact → den Kontakt herstellen/unterbrechen
(= person) → Kontaktperson f (also Med); (in espionage) → Verbindungsmann m, → V-Mann m; contacts pl → Kontakte pl, → Verbindungen pl; to make contacts → Kontakte herstellen; he’s made a useful contact → er hat einen nützlichen Kontakt hergestellt
vt person, agent, lawyer → sich in Verbindung setzen mit; (for help) police → sich wenden an (+acc); I’ve been trying to contact you for hours → ich versuche schon seit Stunden, Sie zu erreichen; he doesn’t want to be contacted unless it’s urgent → er möchte, dass man sich nur in dringenden Fällen mit ihm in Verbindung setzt
contact
:contact allergy
n → Kontaktallergie f
contact breaker
n → Unterbrecher m
contact flight
n → Sichtflug m
contact lens
n → Kontaktlinse f
contact man
n → Kontakt- or Mittelsmann m
contact poison
n → Kontakt- or Berührungsgift nt
contact print
n (Phot) → Kontaktabzug m
contact sport
n → Kontaktsport m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
contact
[ˈkɒntækt]1. n (gen) → contatto; (person) → conoscenza, contatto
to be in contact with sb/sth → essere in contatto con qn/qc
to make contact with sb → mettersi in contatto con qn
to lose contact (with sb) → perdere i contatti (con qn), perdere di vista qn
business contacts → contatti mpl d'affari
to be in contact with sb/sth → essere in contatto con qn/qc
to make contact with sb → mettersi in contatto con qn
to lose contact (with sb) → perdere i contatti (con qn), perdere di vista qn
business contacts → contatti mpl d'affari
2. vt → mettersi in contatto con, contattare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
contact
(ˈkontӕkt) noun1. physical touch or nearness. Her hands came into contact with acid; Has she been in contact with measles?
2. communication. I've lost contact with all my old friends; We have succeeded in making (radio) contact with the ship; How can I get in contact with him?
3. a person with influence, knowledge etc which might be useful. I made several good contacts in London.
4. (a place where) a wire etc carrying electric current (may be attached). the contacts on the battery.
5. a person who has been near someone with an infectious disease. We must trace all known contacts of the cholera victim.
6. a person or thing that provides a means of communicating with someone. His radio is his only contact with the outside world.
verb to get in touch with in order to give or share information etc. I'll contact you by telephone.
contact lens a small plastic lens on the eyeball worn, instead of spectacles, to improve sight.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
contact
→ اِتِّصَال, يَتَصِّلُ kontakt, kontaktovat kontakt, kontakte Kontakt, kontaktieren επαφή, έρχομαι σε επαφή contacto, ponerse en contacto ottaa yhteyttä, yhteys contact, contacter kontakt, kontaktirati contattare, contatto 連絡, 連絡を取る 연락하다, 접촉 contact, contact opnemen met kontakt, kontakte kontakt, kontaktować contactar, contacto, contatar, contato контактировать, отношения kontakt, kontakta การติดต่อ, ติดต่อ temas, temas kurmak liên hệ, sự liên hệ 联系, 联络Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
con·tact
n. contacto;
close ___ → ___ íntimo;
___ lenses → lentes de ___;
initial ___ → ___ inicial.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
- Who do we contact if there are problems?
- I wear contact lenses
- Cleansing solution for contact lenses
- Where can I contact you?
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
contact
n contacto; close — contacto cercano; eye — contacto visualEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.