subcontractor

American  

[suhb-kon-trak-ter, suhb-kon-, suhb-kuhn-trak-ter] / sʌbˈkɒn træk tər, ˈsʌbˌkɒn-, ˌsʌb kənˈtræk tər /

noun

1. Law. a person who or business that contracts to provide some service or material necessary for the performance of another's contract.

2. a person or business firm contracted to do part of another's work.

---

subcontractor British  

/ ˌsʌbkənˈtræktə /

noun

1. a person, company, etc, that enters into a subcontract, esp a firm that undertakes to complete part of another's contract

---

Etymology

Origin of subcontractor

First recorded in 1835–45; sub- + contractor

Explanation

A subcontractor is someone who agrees to perform part of a larger job. If you've been hired to renovate a house but you're not an expert plumber, you could hire a subcontractor to install new pipes. If you were building a new house, you might hire a contractor to do the job. While the contractor would be responsible for the entire project, she might pay subcontractors to do specific tasks, like digging the foundation, installing windows, or wiring the new house for electricity. You would pay the contractor for the whole project, and she would pay the subcontractors for the work they performed.

Example Sentences

Bedrock was drawn to Austin because of the nearby talent from SpaceX and Tesla, and it has become a subcontractor for other startups in the town.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Officials said police also raided a private subcontractor blamed for failing to deliver ballots, boxes and other materials on time.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

A subcontractor unfamiliar with modular construction might bid a project higher than they otherwise would to compensate for the uncertainty.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

One of the haulage firms was then hired as a subcontractor by an unwitting UK transport company.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

If his mental subcontractor detected a level of interest in what you had just said, it radioed a signal to the mother ship, which then wheeled around with the most intense focus.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis