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outsource

[ out-sawrs, ‐sohrs ]
/ ˈaʊtˌsɔrs, ‐ˌsoʊrs /
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verb (used with object), out·sourced, out·sourc·ing.

(of a company or organization) to purchase (goods) or subcontract (services) from an outside supplier or source.
to contract out (jobs, services, etc.): a small business that outsources bookkeeping to an accounting firm.

verb (used without object), out·sourced, out·sourc·ing.

to obtain goods or services from an outside source: U.S. companies who outsource from China.

RELATED WORDS

source, deploy, redistribute, expand, utilize

Nearby words

  1. outsleep,
  2. outsmart,
  3. outsoar,
  4. outsold,
  5. outsole,
  6. outspan,
  7. outspeak,
  8. outspend,
  9. outspent,
  10. outspoken

Origin of outsource

1975–80
Related formsout·sourc·ing, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for outsource

British Dictionary definitions for outsource

outsource

/ (ˌaʊtˈsɔːs) /

verb (tr) (of a manufacturer)

to subcontract (work) to another company
to buy in (components for a product) rather than manufacture them
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for outsource

outsource

v.

in reference to jobs going overseas, by 1981 (as outsourcing), from out + source (v.). Related: Outsourced.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper