Contingent meaning: A group of soldiers

a group of soldiers, ships, etc., assembled to help a larger force: His contingent was sent to Saudi Arabia. any one of the groups that make up a larger group: The gay and lesbian contingent of the parade was finally allowed to march. Contingent definition: dependent for existence, occurrence, character, etc., on something not yet certain; conditional (often followed by on orupon ).. See examples of CONTINGENT used in a sentence. contingent (plural contingents) An event which may or may not happen; that which is unforeseen, undetermined, or dependent on something in the future. synonyms As an adjective, "contingent" refers to something that is dependent on certain conditions or circumstances . For example, a contingent event is one that may or may not happen, depending on other factors.