farm out

verb

1. to send (work) to be done by another person, firm, etc; subcontract
2. to put (a child, etc) into the care of a private individual; foster
3. to lease to another for a rent or fee the right to operate (a business for profit, land, etc) or the right to collect (taxes)

Idioms and Phrases

Assign something to an outsider; subcontract something. For example, The contractor was so busy he had to farm out two jobs to a colleague , or When their mother was hospitalized, the children had to be farmed out to the nearest relatives . This term originally referred to letting or leasing land. Today it usually refers to subcontracting work or the care of a dependent to another. In baseball it means “to assign a player to a lesser ( farm ) league,” as opposed to a big league . [Mid-1600s]

Related Words

• hire out
• rent out
• subcontract
• sublet