NOUN 1 If you are in contact with someone, you talk or write to them regularly. • I am in contact with a pen pal in France.
2 When things are in contact, they are touching each other.
VERB 3 If you contact someone, you telephone them or write to them.
contact lens contact lenses
NOUN small plastic lenses that you put in your eyes instead of wearing glasses, to help you see better
contagious
ADJECTIVE A contagious disease can be caught by touching people or things infected with it. • Measles is contagious.
contain contains, containing, contained
VERB 1 If a substance contains something, that thing is a part of it.
2 The things a box or room contains are the things inside it.
container containers
NOUN something that you keep things in, such as a box or a jar
contaminate contaminates, contaminating, contaminated
VERB If dirt, chemicals or radiation contaminate something, they make it impure and harmful.
contamination NOUN
contemplate contemplates, contemplating, contemplated
VERB 1 If you contemplate, you think very carefully about something. • She contemplated what she would do at the weekend.
2 If you contemplate something, you look at it for a long time.
contemporary
ADJECTIVE 1 produced or happening now
2 A contemporary work is one that was written at the time of the events it describes.
contempt
NOUN If you treat someone with contempt, you show no respect for them at all.
content
Said “kon-tent” ADJECTIVE 1 If you are content, you are happy and satisfied with your life.
2 If you are content to do something, you are willing to do it.
contents
Said “kon-tents” PLURAL NOUN 1 The contents of something like a box or a cake are the things in it.
2 The contents page of a book tells you what is in it.
contest contests
NOUN a competition or game
contestant contestants
NOUN someone who takes part in a competition
SYNONYMS: competitor, player
context contexts
NOUN The context of a word or sentence is the words or sentences that come before and after it, which help to make the meaning clear.
continent continents
NOUN 1 a very large area of land, such as Africa or Asia
2 In Britain, the mainland of Europe is sometimes called the Continent. [from Latin terra continens meaning continuous land]
continental
ADJECTIVE In Britain, continental means on, belonging to or typical of the mainland of Europe. • continental breakfast
continual
ADJECTIVE happening again and again • Mum had a continual stream of phone calls.
continue continues, continuing, continued
VERB 1 If you continue to do something, you keep doing it.
2 If something continues, it does not stop.
3 You say something continues when it starts again after stopping. • She paused for a moment, then continued.
continuous
ADJECTIVE happening all the time without stopping • The television made a continuous buzzing noise.
contour contours