What does "farm out" mean?

To subcontract (a task, responsibility, etc.) to another; to outsource.

What is a synonym for "farm out"?

Common synonyms include: charter, farm, hire, hire out, hire out, job.

verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Verb

1
To subcontract (a task, responsibility, etc.) to another; to outsource. idiomatic, transitive
"Near-synonym: sub out"
2
To clear or clean out; empty out. Northern-England
"Farm out the stable and pigsty."
3
grant the services of or the temporary use of, for a fee wordnet
4
arranged for contracted work to be done by others wordnet

"These companies are simply paper companies . . . they farm out the contracts to the real builders."

Etymology 1

From farm + out.

Etymology 2

From farm (“to cleanse, clean”) + out.