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

Dowbuilt boasts 45 years of experience and a talented roster of subcontractors and fabricators, as well as its own in-house woodshop. —Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2025

Once a manufacturing subcontractor of South Korean companies, China has now become their global rival in key industries like EV and electronics. —Se Eun Gong, NPR, 2 Nov. 2025

The unidentified men were working as subcontractors at a jobsite at the Rover Street marine dock in Everett when a crane collapsed. —Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025

Adding further fuel were the recent supply chain scandals in Italy’s high-end pipeline, which linked marquee brands including Dior, Valentino, Loro Piana, Giorgio Armani and Tod’s, among others, to subcontractors allegedly engaged in sweatshop schemes and labor exploitation. —Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025

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