/ kənˈtraɪv; NAmE / verb ( formal )
1.
[ v to inf ] to manage to do sth despite difficulties :
She contrived to spend a couple of hours with him every Sunday evening.
2.
[ vn ] to succeed in making sth happen despite difficulties :
I decided to contrive a meeting between the two of them.
3.
[ vn ] to think of or make sth, for example a plan or a machine, in a clever way :
They contrived a plan to defraud the company.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French contreuve- , stressed stem of controver imagine, invent, from medieval Latin contropare compare.