outsource

verb

out·​source ˈau̇t-ˌsȯrs 

outsourced; outsourcing; outsources

transitive + intransitive

: to procure (something, such as some goods or services needed by a business or organization) from outside sources and especially from foreign or nonunion suppliers : to contract for work, jobs, etc., to be done by outside or foreign workers

decided to outsource some back-office operations

Some services and aspects of production were outsourced to cut costs.

Firms outsource to capitalize on their strengths while minimizing business activities that are not core functions.

—John K. Borchardt

compare insource

Examples of outsource in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This means refusing to outsource your judgment to a system that is very good at sounding right. —Manu Khetan, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026

Some companies outsource their customer support to maintain a high-level service quality. —Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 18 May 2026

UncleStem opted to outsource the cutting process to a professional service equipped to work with large-format sheets. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 2026

These proxies serve as the regime’s external walls, designed to outsource instability and keep the threat far from Tehran. —Liram Koblentz-Stenzler, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for outsource

• concourse
• divorce
• endorse
• enforce
• indorse
• midcourse
• perforce
• racehorse
• remorse
• seahorse
• workforce
• workhorse