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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The fine points of class-action law were, of course, less influential than Crenshaw’s insistence on paying close attention to the way Black women were treated by the courts, and the essay’s most memorable lines were broader categorical claims.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Americans are paying more for food, fuel, housing, and healthcare, while government grows larger, less accountable, and less competent.—
Kevin Fixler
May 3,
Idaho Statesman,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Their ability to contract declines and their metabolism changes.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
3 May 2026
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State law requires that any district that wants to implement this program must contract with a law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over the entire county to review video footage to confirm violations.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Therapist Sherry Gonzalez has kept her fourth-grade son at home, rescheduling work hours, hiring babysitters.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Microsoft, on the hook to provide an operating system for the still-in-development IBM PC 5150, licensed 86-DOS and hired Paterson to continue developing it, later buying the rights to 86-DOS outright.—
Andrew Cunningham,
ArsTechnica,
30 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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The documents go on to say that after Dukes was arrested and placed into a Chicago youth facility at 15 years old, he was signed to Warner Records.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Earlier in the day, Charles delivered a rare address to a joint session of Congress, highlighting the second day of his four-day state visit and placing the spotlight on the strained but enduring relationship between his country and the United States.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Making this the norm rather than the exception starts with seeing families as important drivers in their student’s education and creating clear expectations and real accountability for how schools communicate and partner with families around grade level progress.—
Arne Duncan,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Some fintech companies and digital banking platforms aren't FDIC members themselves but partner with banks that are.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subcontract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subcontract. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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