outsource
verb
out·source
ˈau̇t-ˌsȯrs 
outsourced; outsourcing; outsources
: to procure (something, such as some goods or services needed by a business or organization) from outside sources and especially from foreign or nonunion suppliers : to contract for work, jobs, etc., to be done by outside or foreign workers
decided to outsource some back-office operations
Some services and aspects of production were outsourced to cut costs.
Firms outsource to capitalize on their strengths while minimizing business activities that are not core functions.—
John K. Borchardt
compare insource
John K. BorchardtExamples of outsource in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
He would have been forgiven for wanting to outsource that job.
—Rory Smith, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
Tijuana’s economy has seen growth under nearshoring rules, which encouraged U.S. and Canadian economies to outsource to Mexico over China, that were part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement passed in Trump’s first term.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
The other option would be to outsource the lander to the space industry.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2025
This also helps outsource critical functions, such as cybersecurity, allowing SMBs to focus on customer engagement and revenue-generating activities without building an in-house team from scratch.
—Raghu Bongula, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for outsource 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rory Smith, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
Tijuana’s economy has seen growth under nearshoring rules, which encouraged U.S. and Canadian economies to outsource to Mexico over China, that were part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement passed in Trump’s first term.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
The other option would be to outsource the lander to the space industry.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2025
This also helps outsource critical functions, such as cybersecurity, allowing SMBs to focus on customer engagement and revenue-generating activities without building an in-house team from scratch.
—Raghu Bongula, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for outsource
Dictionary Entries Near outsource
Cite this Entry
“Outsource.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outsource. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share