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
The company subcontracts installation to local contractors, leading to varied customer experiences.
—
Dan Simms, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for subcontract
Dan Simms, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for subcontract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subcontract
Verb
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The parliamentarian kept most of the immigration portion of the legislation intact, though some minor provisions were blocked, including Customs and Border Patrol funds to hire, train and pay Border Patrol agents.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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The court also ordered them to pay Djena nearly three hundred thousand dollars in restitution.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Its top and bottom lines have been contracting, and the pros expect more of the same over the next couple years.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Carl Goldman, who spent a month in Omaha after contracting Covid-19 during a voyage on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in February 2020, also had a similar experience.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
Verb
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But in hiring the three-time Stanley Cup winner, the Ducks earned credibility in terms of coaching acumen and became an attraction for players.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Stefanie Markman joined the division as head of business & legal affairs, while Alix Teppel has come on board as head of marketing & partnerships, and KC Warnke was hired as head of physical production.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 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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None of that seemed to matter, though, when Poulin got the puck in the slot on a third-period power play and placed a perfect shot top shelf on Rooney.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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Since its founding in 1975, Canine Companions has placed more than 8,600 dogs with those who need them most, including children, adults and veterans with disabilities, as well as in healthcare, criminal justice and educational settings.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Bloomberg’s sources suggested that Apple was happy to partner with OpenAI as its own AI projects failed to launch but over time became less inclined to boost ChatGPT after learning about OpenAI’s plans to make its own device that could rival the iPhone.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
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Since becoming commissioner himself, Richards has been keen to emphasize his desire to partner with Rikers staff and unions.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subcontract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subcontract. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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