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]

Example Sentences

Since the Budget, farmers have warned that getting rid of this IHT exemption will force many family farms out of business and decimate the countryside.

From BBC

This is a nearly 15% hit rate from only two dairy farms out of more than 170 with bird flu outbreaks in 13 states this year.

From Salon

“There’s a lot of farms out there that are not reporting,” Dr. Poulsen, the Wisconsin expert, said.

From New York Times

People accused him of pushing small farms out of business.

From New York Times

I was a kid that was raised on a farm out in the Midwest, and living in nature was very much part of my upbringing.

From Salon

Related Words

• hire out
• rent out
• subcontract
• sublet