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
Content industries in the country are plagued by low wages, punishing hours, and subcontracting arrangements that push risk onto the most vulnerable workers.
—
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 7 May 2026
Echo was subcontracting, which meant long hours for thin margins.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Mar. 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
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 7 May 2026
Echo was subcontracting, which meant long hours for thin margins.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Mar. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subcontracting
Verb
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Natalie Neysa Alund Olivier le Polain, unit head of epidemiology and analytics for response at the WHO, said cases continued to grow Monday due to length of symptom onset after contracting the virus.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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As of May 9, three passengers — a Dutch couple and one German national — have died after contracting hantavirus, according to WHO.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Importing higher-paying—and oftentimes higher-achieving—students benefits a school during boom times, when universities have seemingly infinite choice among applicants.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
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Adani, one of the world’s richest people, was accused in 2024 of paying massive bribes to ensure the project’s success.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
19 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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Notably absent from the SEC’s motion to freeze Kapoor’s assets and its civil complaint was any mention of his hiring Suarez as a consultant for URBIN while the Location Ventures affiliate was seeking approval from City Hall for a residential and retail project at Commodore Plaza in Coconut Grove.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Ventilate Crawl Spaces Reduce moisture and humidity in crawl spaces by placing moisture barriers over the soil and adding vents.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
14 May 2026
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At the same time, reductions in federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are expected to increase food insecurity among older adults, placing even more pressure on already strained systems.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The previous campaigns that targeted Florida and Texas had no visible effect on recruiting or free agency in either college or professional sports.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
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Concerns about longer-term career impacts are also to blame for trouble recruiting the next generation of researchers.—
Eric Welch,
The Conversation,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subcontracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subcontracting. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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