farm out

farm someone out 

1. [for someone in control] to send someone to work for someone else. I have farmed my electrician out for a week, so your work will have to wait. We farmed out the office staff.

2. to send a child away to be cared for by someone; to send a child to boarding school. We farmed the kids out to my sister for the summer. We farmed out the kids.

See also: farm, out

farm something out 

1. to deplete the fertility of land by farming too intensely. They farmed their land out through careless land management. They farmed out their land.

2. to send work to someone to be done away from one's normal place of business; to subcontract work. We farmed the assembly work out. We always farm out the actual final assembly of the finished units.

See also: farm, out

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farm out somebody (to somebody) also farm somebody out (to somebody)

to give someone to someone else who will take care of them She farmed out her children to her brother for two weeks.

See also: farm, out

farm out something (to somebody) also farm something out (to somebody)

to give work or responsibilities to other people Magazines often farm out articles to freelance writers. If you can't finish the reports by next week, you should farm them out.

See also: farm, out