subcontract
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
subcontracts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
subcontracted,
past participle, past
-
subcontracting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
subcontracts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
subcontracted,
past participle, past
-
subcontracting
present participle
noun
verb
-
to enter into or make a subcontract
-
(tr) to let out (work) on a subcontract
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
subcontractsimple
-
subcontractssimple
-
have subcontractedperfect
-
has subcontractedperfect
-
am subcontractingprogressive
-
are subcontractingprogressive
-
is subcontractingprogressive
-
have been subcontractingperfect progressive
-
has been subcontractingperfect progressive
Past
-
subcontractedsimple
-
had subcontractedperfect
-
was subcontractingprogressive
-
were subcontractingprogressive
-
had been subcontractingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of subcontract
Explanation
A subcontract is a legal agreement to do part of a larger job. A worker or small company usually signs a subcontract with a larger company. As a verb, subcontract means to hire a person or company to complete part of a job. An example might be a construction company that's been employed to build a house deciding to subcontract all the plumbing and electrical work out. In other words, they are paid for the entire job, and then they pay a plumber and an electrician to do specific parts of the job.
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:
The RSF scored an important victory against the Darfur rebels, did less well in fighting an insurgency in the Nuba Mountains adjacent to South Sudan, and took a subcontract to police the border with Libya.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025
In Kousisis, the allegation is that a contractor who partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation engaged in fraud by misrepresenting that the contractor would subcontract with minority-owned businesses.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2025
Another reason for calm in Wall Street is that its traders subcontract the job of risk assessment to the oil market.
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2024
Now there are alternatives, such as “custom crush” facilities: Essentially, you subcontract the winemaking.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 3, 2023
The next charge is that a subcontract was made for less than the original contract.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Legal by Robert Green Ingersoll
While Shein has no customers in China, it subcontracts thousands of factories in the country to produce its enormous selection of low-price merchandise and adapt to rapidly changing consumer tastes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
"If we look at large companies, their accident rate is close to zero, but in the chain of contracts and subcontracts, especially among small and medium-sized firms, that's where accidents happen," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2025
It subcontracts to hotels to provide accommodation for about half of those and also, according to the latest official data, uses more hotels than the other contractors.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
MV Transportation subcontracts with Solid Ground for King County Metro to provide paratransit services for seniors and people with disabilities.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 7, 2022
“Yes, well, Apollo is too busy to see to them,” Geryon explained, “so he subcontracts to us. We breed them vigorously because there’s such a demand.”
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
Send Contractor B a letter explaining that you selected him based on his reputation for workmanship and his promised timeline, only to discover that he subcontracted the project to Contractor A without your consent.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Technology company Sopra Steria has been in charge of the veterans' pension scheme since 2023, and had subcontracted the administration to Equiniti.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The firm subcontracted with another company for a social-media influencer campaign, targeting audiences between 12 and 18 as well as parents of teenagers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
With 39 other subcontracted workers offering statements that they also ate snack from the fridge, the appellate court ruled that "it is difficult to conclude that the defendant had the intent to steal."
From Barron's ● Nov. 28, 2025
All the painting on the line was given to one contractor, who subcontracted with another, and he again with Radish, stipulating for twenty per cent commission.
From The House with the Mezzanine and Other Stories by Gilbert Cannan
He won the bid on the basis of completing the project in three days but then spent three months finessing the terms of the contract before subcontracting the job.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Other provisions of the agreement include a “significant ongoing contribution” to build housing for hospitality workers, protections against automation and subcontracting, and premium pay for the World Cup and 2027 Super Bowl, Petersen said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
“Even European countries, which have strong unions and environmental protections ... can do it cheaper because they build transit regularly and have transit agencies to do it, as opposed to contracting and subcontracting it out.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
The UIL union has also pointed to continued issues in subcontracting, and this week said more could be done on improving the quality of training and tackling undeclared work.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2025
The subcontracting system bore most severely on the women in the trade, as the greater proportion of the finishers were women, and before the strike nearly every finisher was employed by a subcontractor.
From Making Both Ends Meet The income and outlay of New York working girls by Sue Ainslie Clark
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.
