outsource

American  

[out-sawrs, ‑-sohrs] / ˈaʊtˌsɔrs, ‑ˌsoʊrs /

verb (used with object)

outsourced, outsourcing

1. (of a company or organization) to purchase (goods) or subcontract (services) from an outside supplier or source.

2. to contract out (jobs, services, etc.).

   a small business that outsources bookkeeping to an accounting firm.

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verb (used without object)

outsourced, outsourcing

1. to obtain goods or services from an outside source.

   U.S. companies who outsource from China.

outsource British  

/ ˌaʊtˈsɔːs /

verb

1. to subcontract (work) to another company

2. to buy in (components for a product) rather than manufacture them

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Other Word Forms

• outsourcing noun

Etymology

Origin of outsource

1975–80

Example Sentences

“What I always tell faculty is, ‘Don’t outsource the thing that you love.’

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

DHL Supply Chain is betting that hyperscalers, data-center operators and suppliers will want to outsource more of their logistics operations to instead focus on their ambitious expansion plans and developing the latest AI models.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

In Silicon Valley, tech pros and amateurs are competing to see how many tasks they can outsource to AI without things backfiring.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Smilovic: Because every time you outsource something, you outsource the knowledge that comes with doing it.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

And this created a great incentive for them to outsource some of this analytical work to places like Bangalore.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman