as in contracting
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 subcontracting
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
Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subcontracting
Verb
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Profit margins have been contracting for asset managers for years as an increasing chunk of client money has switched from active to passive management.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2026
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The administration must promise to protect citizen privacy and security, and transparency in contracting with vendors.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But determining how to structure reimbursements would be tricky, as the costs of the tariffs flowed through the economy in the form of customers paying the taxes directly as well as importers either passing along the cost indirectly or absorbing them.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
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Kyiv is paying the price of the upheaval with constant churn and relentless loss, Ukrainians told me.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The more filler words someone uses, the lower they’re rated in professional and personal credibility and communication competence, which can influence hiring decisions.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
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And the cost of tariffs has reduced many companies’ profits, possibly leading them to cut back on hiring.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sights are set on Aubrey Bracco Traders in prediction markets are placing all their bets behind one player.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
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Still, the park will be maintaining active parking management and placing extra staff at key intersections during peak periods.—
Cecilio Padilla,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Wiseman has played a key role in recruiting companies to join the demolition effort.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
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Morning Consult, which often partners with Politico, collects very large samples—sometimes in the tens of thousands—-by recruiting people online, which costs less than conducting phone calls.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subcontracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subcontracting. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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