farm out

verb

farmed out; farming out; farms out

transitive verb

1
: to turn over for performance by another usually under contract
farm out a job
2
a
: to put (someone, such as a child) into the hands of another for care
b
: to send (an athlete, such as a baseball player) to a farm team
3
: to exhaust (land) by farming especially by continuously raising one crop

Examples of farm out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Washington state by far has the most apple orchards, representing 2,335 farms out of 27,463 apple-producing farms nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2022 Census of Agriculture. Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 25 Sep. 2024 Beyond ramping up production, a European security body will have to assume responsibility for its own research and development—a task that has largely been farmed out to the United States. Phillips P. O’Brien, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2024 At some point, the hospital decided to farm out the service to Shady Grove Fertility, but the quality of service had been set. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 5 Aug. 2024 This is a nearly 15% hit rate from only two dairy farms out of more than 170 with bird flu outbreaks in 13 states this year. Amy Maxmen, CNN, 2 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for farm out 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of farm out was circa 1593

Dictionary Entries Near farm out

Cite this Entry

“Farm out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farm%20out. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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