subcontract
/ˌsʌbkənˈtrækt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌsʌbˈkɑːntrækt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌsəb-ˈkän-ˌtrakt/ (ame, mw)
subcontract — verb
- subcontractpresent simple I / you / we / they
- subcontractshe / she / it
- subcontractedpast simple
- subcontracting-ing form
1. to pay a different business or worker to handle a portion of the tasks you were
to pay a different business or worker to handle a portion of the tasks you were hired to complete — for instance, a builder bringing in an outside electrician for a housing project's wiring
The construction company subcontracted the electrical wiring to a firm in Kaohsiung.
subcontract + [work] + to + [company]
Wei-Lin's software team subcontracted the user testing to a design agency in Seoul.
Car manufacturers often subcontract the body painting to specialist workshops.
The general contractor subcontracted the plumbing work to Mei and her two brothers.
Under the main agreement, local deliveries may be subcontracted to couriers in each town.
- keep in-house
to do the work with your own employees instead of hiring others
文法句型
subcontract + [work/task] + to + [person/company]
subcontract + [work/task] + out
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive voice (be subcontracted) when the focus is on the work itself rather than the contractor.
常見錯誤
2. to accept a job from the main contractor and carry out a specific part of a larg
to accept a job from the main contractor and carry out a specific part of a larger project
Sofia's carpentry firm subcontracted for a hotel chain, fitting cabinets in thirty new rooms.
subcontract + for + [company]
Small engineering companies often subcontract for larger firms on bridge construction projects.
Kenji subcontracted for the main builder during the stadium project last year.
Fatima's cleaning crew subcontracted for the office block, handling all the after-hours work.
- work as a subcontractor
fuller, more formal equivalent
文法句型
subcontract + for + [main contractor/company]
用法筆記
The subject of this sense is the person or company that receives the subcontracted work (the subcontractor), not the one that gives it out. Compare with sense 1, where the subject hires others.
subcontract — noun
1. a written agreement between the holder of a main contract and another business o
a written agreement between the holder of a main contract and another business or individual, stating that the second party will perform part of the original work
Theo signed a subcontract with a roofing company to cover the second-floor repairs.
sign a subcontract with [company]
Hana reviewed every subcontract to make sure the payment dates matched the main agreement.
A dispute arose when Diego's subcontract did not include the same safety rules as the original contract.
The lawyer advised Amara to have every subcontract approved in writing before the work began.
Olga checked the subcontract and found that the cleaning schedule was different from what she had agreed to.
- secondary contract
equivalent; emphasises that it is subordinate to the main contract
- main contract
the original, primary agreement
文法句型
sign a subcontract
under the subcontract