Past tense of outsource, meaning to contract work or services to external companies rather than handling them internally. A common business practice for cost reduction or specialization.
Compound of 'out' and 'source,' coined in American business terminology around 1980. The concept reflects the shift from internal production to external procurement of goods and services in modern corporate strategy.
The word 'outsourced' is barely 40 years old, yet it has fundamentally reshaped the global economy! This relatively new term captures one of the most significant business trends of the late 20th century - the idea that companies should focus on their core competencies and farm everything else out to specialists.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.