Definition

Verb (transitive): 1. To delegate or subcontract work to another party, typically an external one: The core meaning involves arranging for work to be done by others, often because the primary entity lacks capacity or specializes in management. 2. To send out or assign (work, a worker, or a player): This can apply to sending an employee to work elsewhere or, in sports, sending a player to a minor league team for development.

Usage and Examples

• Delegating/Subcontracting Work:
  • The software company decided to farm out the graphic design work to a specialized agency.
  • We don't have the machinery, so we farm out the manufacturing of these components.
• Sending a Worker or Player:
  • The consultant was farmed out to the company's branch office for six months.
  • The young baseball pitcher was farmed out to the minor leagues to gain more experience.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The phrasal verb often carries a connotation of the work being sent away from a central or primary location/entity.
• It is commonly used in business and project management contexts to describe outsourcing.
• In a sports context (especially North American sports like baseball), "to farm out" is a standard term for sending an athlete to a developmental or minor league team.

Variants and Related Words

• Outsource (verb): A close synonym, specifically for contracting work to an external supplier. ()
• Contract out (phrasal verb): Very similar in meaning to "farm out" in the context of work. ()
• Subcontract (verb): To hire a third party to perform part of the work from a primary contract.

Synonyms

• Delegate
• Outsource
• Subcontract
• Contract out
• Hire out

Antonyms

• Keep in-house
• Insource
• Retain

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Hire out: To make one's services or property available for temporary use in return for payment. This is closely related to one sense of "farm out."
  • He hires out his truck for local deliveries.

Verb

1. grant the services of or the temporary use of, for a fee
   • We rent out our apartment to tourists every year
   • He hired himself out as a cook
2. arranged for contracted work to be done by others