as in to pay
to come to an agreement with another person or company to do part of a job that you have been hired to do
Parts of the project were subcontracted (out) to specialists.
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Recent Examples of subcontract
But anyone subcontracting tasks to AI is clever enough to imagine what might come next—a day when augmentation crosses into automation, and cognitive obsolescence compels them to seek work at a food truck, pet spa, or massage table.
—
Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Customers who do business with the company must go through the Texas corporation, which subcontracts with Mentink and Collard's shop in southeastern Oklahoma.
—Dale Denwalt, Oklahoman, 6 Feb. 2026
This was done through a competitive bidding process, but allows Serco to subcontract its work to other providers without inviting tenders in the UK or seeking approval from UK ministries.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 13 Jan. 2026
The federal agency also subcontracts with other charter companies, including GlobalX, which handled more than half of DHS' charter flights in 2025, according to ICE Flight Monitor at Human Rights First, a group that tracks ICE deportation flights.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subcontract
Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Customers who do business with the company must go through the Texas corporation, which subcontracts with Mentink and Collard's shop in southeastern Oklahoma.
—Dale Denwalt, Oklahoman, 6 Feb. 2026
This was done through a competitive bidding process, but allows Serco to subcontract its work to other providers without inviting tenders in the UK or seeking approval from UK ministries.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 13 Jan. 2026
The federal agency also subcontracts with other charter companies, including GlobalX, which handled more than half of DHS' charter flights in 2025, according to ICE Flight Monitor at Human Rights First, a group that tracks ICE deportation flights.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subcontract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subcontract
Verb
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Many players also opt for deferrals and large signing bonuses (as opposed to a higher salary) to avoid paying income tax in certain states.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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The paying public went from raucous to delirious on the next possession, when Curry raced downcourt and splashed a triple off the dribble.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Animal Control contracts an outside vendor, PetData, to handle licensing on its behalf.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Apr. 2026
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What this all boils down to is that upgrading the old silos would have been more of a pain than building new ones, so Northrop Grumman and Bechtel were contracted to come up with a prototype replacement, for which the Air Force broke ground on March 27, 2026 in Promontory, Utah.—
David Szondy
April 05,
New Atlas,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The relationship healed after Howard was hired as Michigan’s basketball coach in 2019.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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The invader is a skillful art restorer, Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who’s been hired by Julian’s greedy children, Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning), to work, or pose, as their father’s new assistant.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Many analysts and economists are thinking along similar lines, with Deutsche Bank Research Institute recently prompting a proprietary AI tool to forecast what jobs its AI brethren would eliminate, and how.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
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The old De Lane Lea production facility studio was up the road; the coffee shops were full of jobbing actors and post-production staff.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Baldwin, who was placed on the 10-day on March 26, is expected to be ready by spring training.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
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Bidunga will be joined on his trip to Louisville by Oregon junior guard Jackson Shelstad, who also has placed his name in the portal.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Electric bicycle makers and lithium battery producers are being encouraged to partner with recycling firms to establish collection and temporary storage systems.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Apr. 2026
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The first order of business was to partner with an outfit that would lend him some legitimacy, and he got connected to Oxshott Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm started by Erne Stern.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subcontract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subcontract. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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