contact and striking share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. contact means “close interaction”. striking means “the physical coming together of two or more things”. contact is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈkɑnˌtækt/
1.n.close interaction
“they kept in daily contact”
2.n.the act of touching physically
“her fingers came in contact with the light switch”
3.n.the state or condition of touching or of being in immediate proximity
“litmus paper turns red on contact with an acid”
/ˈstɹaɪkɪŋ/
1.n.the physical coming together of two or more things
“contact with the pier scraped paint from the hull”
2.n.the act of contacting one thing with another
“repeated hitting raised a large bruise”
3.adj.sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
“a dramatic sunset”
| contact | striking | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɑnˌtækt/ | /ˈstɹaɪkɪŋ/ |
| Said | KAHN-takt | STRAHY-king |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun, adjective |
| Senses | 11 | 4 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | contact, impinging |
Full entry for contact · Full entry for striking · More comparisons