farm out

USAGE SUMMARY

"farm out" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It means to assign or subcontract work or tasks to another person. Here is an example sentence: Since the company was too busy to complete the project on time, they decided to farm out some of the tasks to freelance workers.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"We're not going to farm out our defense".

The New York Times

When they first meet, the doc checks him: "It's death to farm out here.

The New Yorker

The idea would be to farm out large computing tasks to thousands of individual PCs.

The Economist

Will people be prepared to farm out potentially sensitive work to an anonymous collective?

The Economist

Over the years, Clay would farm out some of his poetical work.

The New Yorker

He added, "I think they eliminated the beat they thought they could most easily farm out".

The New York Times - Arts

How can you farm out a player with a shogun helmet?

The New York Times - Sports

Brighton and Hove city council, also Conservative led, is planning to farm out services to the private sector from November.

The Guardian

The drive to cut management layers and to farm out ancillary functions further shrank the training grounds.

The New York Times

United recently won concessions from its machinists' union that allow the airline to farm out more of these duties.

The New York Times

Why farm out students for work experience when they can graft right on campus, and bring in a few quid?

The Guardian - Travel

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "farm out", ensure clarity about the scope of work being assigned and the expected deliverables. This reduces ambiguity and promotes successful task completion.

Common error

While "farm out" is widely understood, consider using more formal alternatives like "outsource" or "subcontract" in professional or academic writing to maintain a polished tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "farm out" functions as a phrasal verb, indicating the action of delegating or subcontracting tasks to an external entity. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Formal & Business

15%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Science

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrasal verb "farm out" means to subcontract or delegate tasks to another party. It is considered grammatically correct and very common, as confirmed by Ludwig AI. While suitable for a variety of contexts, including news and media, more formal alternatives like "outsource" or "subcontract" might be preferred in academic or professional writing. Best practice includes ensuring clarity about the scope of work being assigned to avoid ambiguity. Key synonyms include "outsource", "subcontract", and "delegate".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

outsource

This term is a direct synonym, focusing on sending tasks outside the company.

subcontract

Similar to "outsource" but often implies a more formal agreement or contract.

contract out

Very similar to "farm out", emphasizing a contractual agreement.

delegate

Focuses on assigning responsibility within a team or organization.

assign

A broader term that means to give someone a task.

hand over

Implies transferring responsibility or control.

commission

Suggests hiring someone to create or perform something specific.

give over

Means to entrust someone with something.

transfer

Emphasizes the movement of duties or responsibilities.

allocate

Focuses on distributing tasks or resources.

FAQs

What does "farm out" mean?

"Farm out" means to subcontract or assign work to an external party. It's often used when a company or individual delegates tasks to others, usually for efficiency or cost savings.

How can I use "farm out" in a sentence?

You can use "farm out" like this: "The company decided to "outsource" its customer service operations" or "The project manager chose to "delegate" the coding tasks to a freelancer".

Are there any synonyms for "farm out"?

Yes, you can use synonyms like "outsource", "subcontract", or "delegate" depending on the specific context.

Is "farm out" appropriate for formal writing?

While "farm out" is widely understood, it may be more appropriate to use more formal terms like "outsource" or "subcontract" in academic or professional writing.