contractors

IPA/kənˈtræk.tər/
KK[kˈɑntrˌæktɚz]IPA/ˈkɑːn.træk.tɚ/

contractors — noun

  • contractorssingular
  • contractorsesplural

1. an individual or firm formally engaged under a legal agreement to provide materi

1.nounB1
Definition

an individual or firm formally engaged under a legal agreement to provide materials, workers, or services for a particular project, most often in construction, engineering, or large-scale maintenance.

Example

The city council hired a local contractor to repave the main roads in the district.

collocation: hire a contractor

Our contractor finished the roof two days early, saving us a lot of money.

Common collocations
  • general contractor
  • local contractor
  • electrical contractor
  • construction contractor
  • independent contractor
  • hire a contractor
  • contractor bids on a project
Synonyms
  • builder

    more specific; refers to someone who constructs buildings, not broader service provision

  • supplier

    focuses on providing materials rather than doing the work itself

  • vendor

    broader term; anyone who sells goods or services, not necessarily under a long-term contract

Antonyms
  • client

    the person or organisation hiring the contractor

  • employee

    a worker with a permanent employment relationship rather than a contracted one

Grammar Patterns

[modifier] + contractor

contractor + verb (singular or plural with company sense)

Usage Note

The word often appears with a modifier that specifies the trade (e.g., electrical contractor, roofing contractor, general contractor). When referring to a company, the noun is grammatically singular but can take singular or plural verb forms in British English.

Common Mistakes

We hired a contractor to fix the computer.
We called a technician to fix the computer.
'contractor' implies a formal agreement for a large project, not a one-time repair.
The contractor contract was signed.
The contractor's contract was signed.
The possessive form is needed when referring to the contract belonging to the contractor.

2. a person hired by a company to work on specific tasks for a fixed period, who is

2.nounB1
Definition

a person hired by a company to work on specific tasks for a fixed period, who is responsible for their own taxes and benefits and is not treated as a permanent employee.

Example

Olivia works as an IT contractor and changes companies every six to twelve months.

pattern: work as a contractor

The bank hired Hassan as a contractor to develop their new mobile banking app.

pattern: hire [someone] as a contractor

Common collocations
  • IT contractor
  • independent contractor
  • work as a contractor
  • hire someone as a contractor
  • pay contractors by the hour
Synonyms
  • freelancer

    similar but usually refers to individual creative or professional workers, not companies

  • consultant

    suggests expert advice rather than routine project work; often higher-status

  • temp

    short for temporary worker; more common in administrative and office roles

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

work as a contractor

[company] + hire(s) + [person] + as a contractor

contractor + for + [company]

Usage Note

Common in conversations about the gig economy, tech industry, consulting, and creative fields. The key distinction from sense 1 is that this sense emphasises the employment relationship (temporary, non-employee) rather than the type of work or project.

Common Mistakes

I am a contractor for five years at this company.
I have been working as a contractor at this company for five years.
'contractor' describes the worker's classification, not the type of job.
She is a full-time contractor with benefits.
She works as a contractor but receives benefits.
A contractor by definition does not receive standard employee benefits; calling someone a 'full-time contractor' can be confusing.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Contractor is the broadest term — it covers any person or company hired under a legal agreement to perform work or provide materials for a project. Builder is narrower, referring specifically to someone who constructs or repairs buildings. Supplier focuses on providing materials (e.g., wood, cement, pipes) rather than performing the labour itself. Vendor is even broader than contractor; it describes anyone who sells goods or services, whether under a contract or one-off. Subcontractor is a contractor hired by the main contractor, not directly by the client — for example, the main contractor on a school might hire an electrical subcontractor. In a sentence: the general contractor hired a local supplier for the bricks and a subcontractor to handle the plumbing.

contractor ↗builder ↗supplier ↗vendor ↗subcontractor ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • hire a contractor
  • work as a contractor
  • contractor agreement
  • contractor rates

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinAnglo-FrenchEnglish

Contractor comes from the Latin 'contractus' (past participle of 'contrahere', meaning 'to draw together or make an agreement'), formed from 'con-' (together) and 'trahere' (to draw). The agent suffix '-or' was added to mean 'one who makes a contract'. The word passed through Anglo-French legal usage before entering English in the 1500s, initially in the general legal sense of any party to a contract. The modern meaning of a builder or service provider hired under a formal agreement became dominant in the 1800s alongside the growth of large-scale construction and industrial projects.

First known use

1548

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1