subcontractor
Americannoun
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Law. a person who or business that contracts to provide some service or material necessary for the performance of another's contract.
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a person or business firm contracted to do part of another's work.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A complex array of financial levers exist to help everyone involved, from lenders and investors down to the lowliest subcontractor, to minimize their exposure should things fall apart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
The companies that managed the site—Acquisition Logistics and its subcontractor Akima Global Services—failed to provide many of the basics required under its contract with ICE, Escobar and detainees said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 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
It is also already a subcontractor on Space Force projects likely to get rolled up into the Golden Dome program, Canaccord Genuity analyst Austin Moeller told Barron’s.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
My dad fixed me up with the electrical subcontractor on his construction project, and right away I found myself wiring hotel rooms.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
When developers are sued, they frequently bring in their subcontractors, engineering firms and inspectors as third-party defendants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The agency maintained networks of contractors and subcontractors, often smaller local groups that employed local community members.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026
Last year, 61% of HawkEye’s revenue came from such customers, or through subcontractors also working with agencies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
The law seeks to counter companies offloading responsibility onto subcontractors by requiring them to identify and prevent any risks toward human rights as well as the environment throughout their production chain, including overseas.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
Building contracts were like gold, and Uncle John happened to know some of the managers who were hiring these subcontractors.
From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
