subcontract

noun

sub·con·tract | \ ˌsəb-ˈkän-ˌtrakt

Definition of subcontract

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a contract between a party to an original contract and a third party especially : one to provide all or a specified part of the work or materials required in the original contract

subcontract

verb

sub·con·tract | \ ˌsəb-ˈkän-ˌtrakt,

ˌsəb-kən-ˈtrakt\

subcontracted; subcontracting; subcontracts

Definition of subcontract (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to let out or undertake work under a subcontract

transitive verb

1 : to engage a third party to perform under a subcontract all or part of (work included in an original contract) —sometimes used with out

2 : to undertake (work) under a subcontract

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Examples of subcontract in a Sentence

Verb

The large firm subcontracted with a smaller company.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Those employers with federal contracts or subcontracts that contain the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause are required to enroll as a condition of federal contracting. — Lucia I. Suarez Sang, Fox News, "Mollie Tibbetts murder suspect, illegal immigrant Cristhian Rivera, allegedly passed E-Verify system," 22 Aug. 2018 Companies also are required to provide evidence of a commitment to subcontract 25 percent or more of the total dollar amount of all subcontracts to businesses that meet the two criteria. — Katrease Stafford, Detroit Free Press, "Land Bank may ask state for help to increase diversity in contracts," 9 July 2018 Print subscribers get a password for your existing account here Richard Perez, president of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, has framed the RK Group’s subcontract in the desert outside El Paso as practically a humanitarian calling. — Brian Chasnoff, San Antonio Express-News, "Chambers split on RK Group subcontract," 2 July 2018 While serving as an informal adviser, Mr. Freedman continued working as a subcontract consultant with the United States Navy and a special government employee with the United States Army, while also running Global Impact. — New York Times, "Meet the Members of the ‘Shadow N.S.C.’ Advising John Bolton," 21 May 2018 Its initiative is aimed at uncovering any undisclosed side deals or subcontracts and whether any third parties act as pay-to-play gatekeepers for public contracts, the people said. — Andrew Scurria, WSJ, "Puerto Rico’s Bankruptcy Advisers Could Get Closer Scrutiny," 9 May 2018 But that would not have come with a big Chinese loan or the cash that was splashed out on subcontracts and the land purchases needed for the new line. — The Economist, "Loans, trains and automobilesDid Kenya get a loan to build a railway, or vice versa?," 22 Mar. 2018 At the half-day session — from 8 a.m. to noon — local businesses will be made aware of opportunities to bid for subcontracts for work on Fermilab projects. — Staff Report, Aurora Beacon-News, "Fine Arts Festival set at West Aurora High School," 9 Feb. 2018 Almost all the work that Carillion won was outsourced to subcontractors, who would often sub-subcontract it in turn. — The Economist, "Cleaned outWhere did Carillion go wrong?," 18 Jan. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Defense Department subcontracts troop and cargo flying to private airlines in return for an agreement by those carriers to make planes available at short notice in the event of a national emergency. — Doug Cameron, WSJ, "Air Transport Services Group Buys Charter Airline for $845 Million," 2 Oct. 2018 The detention center is operated by CoreCivic, which subcontracts with Eloy for the services. — Fox News, "Claim involves death of child after stay in detention center," 30 Aug. 2018 The Teamsters demanded changes to items, including the amount of work that could be subcontracted, wages and restrictions on qualifying for pension and vacation benefits. — Paul Ziobro, WSJ, "UPS Averts Freight Strike as Teamsters Ratify New Contract," 11 Nov. 2018 The National Labor Relations Board has rewritten its joint employer standard, a move that would ease the rule’s impact on companies including franchise owners and businesses that subcontract work to others. — Joyce M. Rosenberg, The Seattle Times, "NLRB proposes new joint employer standard," 17 Sep. 2018 The facility would be available to rent seven days a week during the hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lavender and Olive would hold a maximum of 225 people, including employees and subcontracted staff. — Julie Gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "Garden advocate wants Ramona Street completion off priority list," 11 July 2018 Companies also are required to provide evidence of a commitment to subcontract 25 percent or more of the total dollar amount of all subcontracts to businesses that meet the two criteria. — Katrease Stafford, Detroit Free Press, "Land Bank may ask state for help to increase diversity in contracts," 9 July 2018 The Office of Refugee Resettlement, under the Department of Health and Human Services, subcontracts Southwest Key to operate its 26 child immigrant shelters in three states: Texas, Arizona and California. — Silvia Foster-frau, San Antonio Express-News, "Congressmen from near and far to visit Brownsville migrant children shelters," 14 June 2018 To manage the remaining gaps, Grady is subcontracting with MetroAtlanta, AmeriMed, Procare and AmeriPro ambulance services to cover some areas. — Arielle Kass, ajc, "Grady says plan in place, will be ready to handle south Fulton service," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'subcontract.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 Nov 2018

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Time Traveler for subcontract

The first known use of subcontract was in 1660

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More Definitions for subcontract

subcontract

noun

English Language Learners Definition of subcontract

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a legal agreement by which you hire another person or company to do part of a job you have been hired to do

subcontract

verb

English Language Learners Definition of subcontract (Entry 2 of 2)

: to hire another person or company to do part of a job that you have been hired to do

See the full definition for subcontract in the English Language Learners Dictionary

subcontract

noun

sub·con·tract | \ ˌsəb-ˈkän-ˌtrakt

Legal Definition of subcontract

: a contract between a party to an original contract and a third party that assigns part of the performance (as building a house) of the original contract to the third party