subcontractor
Americannoun
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subcontractors
plural
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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:
In Iowa, Letsch is sometimes able to negotiate directly with the third-party administrator hired to recover funds from an estate: Sumo Group, a subcontractor of Health Management Systems.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 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 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
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
Its on-site subcontractors were previously ordered by the city to award some $230,000 in back-pay to workers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
According to the California Business and Professions Code, Section 7159, a residential home-improvement contract must state whether subcontractors will be used, and the client must check a “yes/no” box.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
“Their last-mile delivery model is based on third-party subcontractors, and that’s how they’ve been able to deliver things cheaply within New York City,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Many subcontractors offer additional benefits, including tuition assistance and paid vacation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 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.
