outsource
gb/ˌaʊtsˈɔɹs/ us/ˌaʊtsˈɔɹs/
B2
English
~ 8200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B2
action
1
use an outside company for work
To pay another company to do work or provide a service that your own staff used to do.
Usage pattern:
to outsource [task/service] to [company/place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"outsource from"* instead of *"outsource to"*. The usual pattern is *"outsource [something] to [a company/place]". For example: *"They outsourced production to a firm in Mexico"*, not *"from a firm in Mexico"*. Learners also sometimes confuse *"outsource"* (paying another company to do the work) with simply *"send"* or *"move"* work inside the same company; *"outsource"* always involves an external provider.
Synonyms
contract out (Very close in meaning; slightly more formal and often used in official or legal contexts.)
|
subcontract (Focuses more on giving part of a larger contract to another company, especially in construction or manufacturing.)
Antonyms
insource (Describes bringing work back to be done by your own employees instead of external providers.)
|
keep in-house (Informal; emphasizes not giving the work to an external company and handling it within the organization.)
Collocations
outsource work
|outsource jobs
|outsource production
|outsource manufacturing
|outsource services
|outsource customer support
Themes
business
|work
|economics
Examples
- The company decided to outsource its IT support to a specialist firm.
- Many small businesses outsource their accounting to save time and money.
- We plan to outsource the design work rather than hire more staff internally.
- The government chose to outsource prison management to a private contractor.
- As the startup grew, it outsourced payroll and HR services to an external provider.
Learner examples
- Our company will outsource cleaning to another company.
- They outsource customer service to a call center.
- The bank outsourced its website work to an IT firm.
- We do not want to outsource this job; we will do it ourselves.
- Many companies outsource simple tasks to save money.
Verb
C1
action
2
move work to cheaper countries
To pay a company in another country to do your work, so the jobs move from your country to that country.
Usage pattern:
to outsource [jobs/production] to [country/region]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think *"outsource"* in this sense always means moving the whole company abroad. In fact, only certain jobs or processes are usually outsourced to another country, while the main company stays in the home country. They also sometimes overuse *"outsource"* for any foreign trade; buying products from other countries is usually called *"import"*, not *"outsource"*.
Synonyms
offshore (Used especially about moving work or money to another country, often for lower costs or tax reasons; slightly more technical/political.)
Antonyms
repatriate jobs (Describes bringing jobs back from other countries to your own country, the opposite direction of outsourcing abroad.)
|
onshore (Used for moving work back to the home country instead of keeping it abroad.)
Collocations
outsource to China
|outsource to India
|outsource overseas
|outsource manufacturing abroad
|outsource call centers to Asia
|outsource production offshore
Themes
business
|economics
|politics
|work
|finance
Examples
- The company plans to outsource its manufacturing to Vietnam to cut labor costs.
- Critics argue that outsourcing call-center jobs to India has hurt local employment.
- Over the last decade, several car makers outsourced parts production to factories in Eastern Europe.
- The decision to outsource software development to Poland sparked political debate.
- Many firms that outsourced production to China are now reconsidering because of rising wages there.
Learner examples
- The factory outsourced many jobs to another country.
- They outsourced phone support to a company in India.
- Our city lost jobs when the company outsourced production abroad.
- Some people are angry because their company outsourced work to China.
- The government worries that more companies will outsource jobs overseas.
Grammar
Dictionary form
outsource
IPA
GB/ˌaʊtsˈɔɹs/
US/ˌaʊtsˈɔɹs/
Syllables & stress
out - source (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (source)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: outsource
- 3rd Person Singular: outsources
- Present Participle: outsourcing
- Past: outsourced
Word family
Forms
outsources
verb
outsourcing
verb
outsourced
verb
Related words
outsourcer
noun
Negative and opposite forms
insource
verb C1
insourcing
noun
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.