outsource

American  

[out-sawrs, ‑-sohrs] / ˈaʊtˌsɔrs, ‑ˌsoʊrs /

verb (used with object)

outsourced, outsourcing

1. (of a company or organization) to purchase (goods) or subcontract (services) from an outside supplier or source.

2. to contract out (jobs, services, etc.).

   a small business that outsources bookkeeping to an accounting firm.

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verb (used without object)

outsourced, outsourcing

1. to obtain goods or services from an outside source.

   U.S. companies who outsource from China.

outsource British  

/ ˌaʊtˈsɔːs /

verb

1. to subcontract (work) to another company

2. to buy in (components for a product) rather than manufacture them

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Other Word Forms

• outsourcing noun

Etymology

Origin of outsource

1975–80

Explanation

To outsource is to hire someone outside a company to do work. A newspaper might outsource some of its stories, paying freelance writers instead of using its full-time staff. When a business outsources, they either employ someone who freelances or works for another company, or they buy supplies from outside the company. Either way, it often involves paying less for the labor or goods, and many companies save money by outsourcing from other countries. This business term is relatively new, emerging in the 1980s from the verb source, "obtain from a particular source."

Example Sentences

It’s not hard to imagine this “workload creep” leading managers to outsource even more of their tasks to A.I. to account for it.

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026

That is why the defence ministry has opted to partly outsource the task to private actors, including energy companies, frequently targeted by Russian strikes, logistics firms and security groups to protect their sites.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

“What I always tell faculty is, ‘Don’t outsource the thing that you love.’

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Smilovic: Because every time you outsource something, you outsource the knowledge that comes with doing it.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

“Making your third grader go for a spray tan instead of playing in the park just so Mom can outsource her failed dreams to her kid? So wrong.”

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray