subcontractor

[ suhb-kon-trak-ter, suhb-kon-, suhb-kuh n-trak-ter ]

/ sʌbˈkɒn træk tər, ˈsʌbˌkɒn-, ˌsʌb kənˈtræk tər /

noun

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

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

Nearby words

subconsciously, subconsciousness, subcontiguous, subcontinent, subcontract, subcontractor, subcontrary, subcorneal pustular dermatosis, subcortex, subcortical, subcosta

Origin of subcontractor

First recorded in 1835–45; sub- + contractor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for subcontractor

To work at the Navy Yard—even as a subcontractor, as Aaron Alexis was—required a security clearance.
Now Is Not the Time for New Gun Laws|Nick Gillespie|September 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Since then, this subcontractor has been removed from our supplier list.
JCPenney, Mango Among Companies That Used Fatal Bangladesh Factory|Nina Strochlic|April 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I also buy the argument that the PA often functions as a “subcontractor” of Israeli security.
Why The PA Shouldn’t Be Dissolved|Brent E. Sasley|March 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“It is not clear to me whether the U.S. government knew that Bout was the subcontractor,” he said.
Did U.S. Help 'Merchant of Death'?|Philip Shenon|November 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST

And this was paid to Vaile, who was a subcontractor at full rates, and the variance in the case is absurd and fatal.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
Thereupon you make a contract with a subcontractor, and you agree in that subcontract that he shall have all the increase.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
When they answer, let them point to the law that the subcontractor is to take an oath.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
Boone swears that the subcontractor was to have sixty-five per cent.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
The Government never recognized a subcontractor before that time, and consequently there was no necessity for such a clause.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll

British Dictionary definitions for subcontractor

subcontractor

/ (ˌsʌbkənˈtræktə) /

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012