Meaning & use
outsource
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Meanings
verbtransitivebusiness
To pay an outside company or worker to provide a service or make goods that your own organization would otherwise do itself.
Grammar: Takes a direct object; the outside provider is usually introduced with to: outsource payroll to a local firm.
Patterns
- outsource something
- outsource something to someone
- outsource production/services/it support
The publisher outsources its printing to a factory overseas.
Many hospitals outsource their cleaning and catering rather than hire staff directly.
verbintransitivebusiness
To shift work away from an internal department and arrange for it to be done externally instead.
Grammar: No object; often used alone or with to plus a place or company: they outsourced to cut costs.
Patterns
- outsource to someone
- decide to outsource
- outsource rather than hire
When orders grew, the workshop outsourced to keep up with demand.
Rather than hire more programmers, the agency outsourced to a specialist firm.
Word forms
| third person singular | outsources |
|---|---|
| past tense | outsourced |
| past participle | outsourced |
| -ing form | outsourcing |
Common combinations
- outsource manufacturing
- The electronics brand outsources manufacturing to suppliers in three countries.
- outsource jobs
- Voters blamed the new policy after the company outsourced jobs abroad.
- outsource to a supplier
- We outsource delivery to a courier service during the holiday rush.
- heavily outsourced
- Her industry is heavily outsourced, with little production left domestically.
Synonyms and how they differ
- contract out
- Very close in meaning but more informal; it usually needs to before naming the provider: contract the work out to a freelancer.
- offshore
- Specifically means moving work to another country; every offshoring is outsourcing, but outsourcing can stay within the same country.
Opposites
Word family
- outsourcing noun
- The practice of sending work to outside providers; uncountable.
- outsourceable adjective
- Describing work that could reasonably be done by an external provider.
Commonly confused: outsource or offshore?
outsource vs offshore
Offshore refers only to moving activity overseas, while outsourcing simply means using an outside provider, who may be next door.
Practice
The council decided to ______ waste collection to a private company instead of running it itself.
Choose one answer.
The sentence describes paying an outside provider for a service the council used to do itself, which is outsourcing. Offshore requires moving work to another country, which is not stated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “outsource”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.