Standard Lemma guide

subcontractor

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • CMU ARPABET: S AH0 B K AA1 N T R AE2 K T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A contractor hired by another contractor (often a general contractor) and thus employed by that contractor rather than directly hired by the customer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sub

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

someone who enters into a subcontract with the primary contractor

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: contractor

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub-der. English sub- English contractor English subcontractor From sub- + contractor.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مقاول — contractor hired by contractor
  • Bulgarian: подизпълнител (podizpǎlnitel) — contractor hired by contractor
  • Catalan: subcontractor — contractor hired by contractor
  • Chinese Mandarin: 分包商 (fēnbāoshāng) — contractor hired by contractor
  • Dutch: onderaannemer — contractor hired by contractor
  • Dutch: toeleverancier — contractor hired by contractor
  • Finnish: alihankkija — contractor hired by contractor
  • Finnish: aliurakoitsija — contractor hired by contractor
  • French: sous-traitant — contractor hired by contractor
  • French: sous-traitante — contractor hired by contractor
  • German: Subunternehmer — contractor hired by contractor
  • Greek: υπεργολάβος (ypergolávos) — contractor hired by contractor
  • Hungarian: alvállalkozó — contractor hired by contractor
  • Irish: fochonraitheoir — contractor hired by contractor
  • Macedonian: подизве́дувач (podizvéduvač) — contractor hired by contractor
  • Polish: podwykonawca — contractor hired by contractor
  • Portuguese: subempreiteiro — contractor hired by contractor
  • Russian: субподря́дчик (subpodrjádčik) — contractor hired by contractor
  • Russian: заво́д-подря́дчик (zavód-podrjádčik) — contractor hired by contractor
  • Russian: сме́жник (sméžnik) — contractor hired by contractor
  • Scottish Gaelic: fo-chunnradair — contractor hired by contractor
  • Swedish: underleverantör — contractor hired by contractor
  • Turkish: taşeron — contractor hired by contractor
  • Welsh: isgontractiwr — contractor hired by contractor