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

Example Sentences

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

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

MarketWatch: You kept the entire business in-house — warehousing, e-commerce, operations — when the industry standard is to outsource.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

Smaller, non-Western nations often outsource their shipping registry to third parties with less-stringent checks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

There has never been a better time to outsource your flavor.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026

In other words, there are parts of the whole dining-out experience that we can decompose and outsource.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman