Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To plan with cleverness or ingenuity; devise.
  • intransitive verb To invent or fabricate, especially by improvisation.
  • intransitive verb To plan with evil intent; scheme.
  • intransitive verb To bring about, as by scheming; manage.
  • intransitive verb To form plans or schemes.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To wear away; spend.
  • To make out; discover; imagine: as, what had become of him I could not contrive.
  • To invent; devise; plan.
  • To manage, by a device, stratagem, plan, or scheme: with an infinitive as object: as, he contrived to gain his point.
  • Synonyms To design, project, plot, concoct, hatch, form, frame, brew.
  • To form schemes or designs; plan; scheme.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To make devices; to form designs; to plan; to scheme; to plot.
  • transitive verb To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to invent; to design; to plan.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot.
  • verb To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation.
  • verb To project, cast, or set forth, as in a projection of light.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb put or send forth
  • verb make or work out a plan for; devise
  • verb come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English contreven, from Old French controver, contreuv-, from Medieval Latin contropāre, to compare : Latin com-, com- + Latin tropus, turn, manner, style (from Greek tropos; see trep- in Indo-European roots).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English contreve ("to invent"), Old French controver (French controuver), from trover ("to find") (French trouver).

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word contrive.

Examples

  • Fathers are fathers of the worst sort, such as contrive to keep their children in a perpetual state of infancy, that they may exercise perpetual and absolute dominion over them.

    Letters to Sir William Windham and Mr. Pope Henry St. John Bolingbroke 1714

  • 'em, an 'contrive 'em, both sides on 'em, all an' similar!

    A Little Union Scout Joel Chandler Harris 1878

  • I expect that the gate will be secured and that I will have to contrive some way to get through it, but when I press my hand tentatively against one side of the iron scrollwork, hinges creak.

    Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer Lucy Weston 2011

  • Isaac must contrive the same story many years later with Rebecca to save his life from Abimelech king of the Philistines.

    Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: Deception And Desire: An Overview Of Genesis Rabbi Shmuley Boteach 2012

  • Now I must turn it on the lathe of fate and contrive from it a weapon to save all.

    Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer Lucy Weston 2011

  • Had I understood the means by which I could contrive my own death, I would gladly have used them.

    Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer Lucy Weston 2011

  • Nor could it be otherwise that the young men contrive great wealth; but they sit by night over the cards, and it passes from them, and they speak harsh words one to another, and in anger blows are struck, and there is bad blood between them.

    CHAPTER 2 2010

  • Isaac must contrive the same story many years later with Rebecca to save his life from Abimelech king of the Philistines.

    Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: Deception And Desire: An Overview Of Genesis Rabbi Shmuley Boteach 2012

  • Do not the young men contrive great wealth what of their pack-straps and paddles?

    CHAPTER 2 2010

  • “If you could perhaps contrive to sit next to Miss Aberfoyle, that would be most wise,” Miss Milhouse was saying now.

    Uprising Margaret Peterson Haddix 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • to contrive to do sth, a system, a war, a protest,an explanation,

    How nature always does contrive!

    January 14, 2011

  • verb: to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery

    Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation.

    This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

    October 19, 2016

  • I asked my manager for leaves but refused , so contrive some way to get the leaves and it worked out . so finally i was able to trick them.

    November 15, 2018