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:
If a subcontractor is expected to perform more than 50% of the total estimated project cost, the contract must also include that subcontractor’s name and contact information.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
According to law enforcement sources, the federal investigation is tied at least in part to Carvalho’s interaction with a subcontractor that brought a failed AI chatbot venture to the district.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Qanat Consulting Services in Andhra Pradesh, an Objectways subcontractor, supplies about a dozen larger data firms with recordings.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
The rep “eliminated a lot of stress and saved time and money” by catching potential problems, like when the subcontractor almost installed flooring incorrectly, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 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
The effort has taxed the company’s supply chain, which covers a network of capacity-constrained subcontractors that are hard-pressed to surge their own output on short notice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
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
Laws regarding subcontractors are applied differently to private and public projects.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
TotalEnergies declined to provide AFP with a statement after the inquest, but in the past has said that "all the staff of Mozambique LNG and its contractors and subcontractors had been evacuated", mostly by boat.
From Barron's
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.
