MEANING
To arrange for an outside person or organization to perform work otherwise done internally.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- outsource production
- outsource support
On the page
The firm outsourced routine repairs but kept specialist maintenance in-house.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- outsource
- Past tense
- outsourced
- Past participle
- outsourced
- Present participle
- outsourcing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- outsource
- Present continuous
- am/is/are outsourcing
- Present perfect
- have/has outsourced
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been outsourcing
- Past
- outsourced
- Past continuous
- was/were outsourcing
- Past perfect
- had outsourced
- Past perfect continuous
- had been outsourcing
- Future
- will outsource
- Future continuous
- will be outsourcing
- Future perfect
- will have outsourced
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been outsourcing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: economics / business / social science. Forms: outsource; outsources; outsourced; outsourced; outsourcing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: outsources.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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