subcontractor

noun

sub·​con·​trac·​tor ˌsəb-ˈkän-ˌtrak-tər 

ˌsəb-kən-ˈtrak-

: an individual or business firm contracting to perform part or all of another's contract

Examples of subcontractor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Greystar, the nation’s largest multifamily apartment owner, earlier sued the builder and several subcontractors over a plumbing leak that led to millions in damages in one of the buildings at Urban East along Riverside Drive. —Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 30 Mar. 2026

One of Meta’s three primary construction firms, DPR, hired subcontractor Mammoth Industries to build a sprawling, 130-acre workforce housing complex that includes more than 300 full-service RV sites near the Meta project. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026

The senators said the subcontractor also spent more than $52,000 on videography, photography and production vendors and nearly $4,000 on hair and makeup. —Terry Collins, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026

L3Harris, for instance, has about 200 people in Palm Bay working on Orion’s audio system as a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for subcontractor

• benefactor
• chiropractor
• malefactor
• multifactor
• acter
• actor
• factor
• tractor
• attractor
• cofactor
• compactor
• contactor

Legal Definition

subcontractor

noun

: one (as an individual or business) that contracts to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract