open-source

[oh-puhn-sawrs, -sohrs]

adjective

1. Computers.,  pertaining to or denoting software whose source code is available free of charge to the public to use, copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute.

2. pertaining to or denoting a product or system whose origins, formula, design, etc., are freely accessible to the public.

open source

noun

1. 1. intellectual property, esp computer source code, that is made freely available to the general public by its creators

   2. ( as modifier ) Compare closed source

      open source software

open-source

1. Relating to source code that is available to the public without charge. Open-source code is often enhanced, improved, and adapted for specific purposes by interested programmers, with the revised versions of the code are made available to the public. For example, most of the code in the Linux operating system is open-source.

Word History and Origins

Origin of open source¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

The guide includes Model Context Protocol, or MCP, an open-source standard introduced by Anthropic that connects models to external systems.

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"Customers will choose the best technology stack for running the world's most popular commercial applications and open-source models. We'll continue to work to earn the trust and support of mainstream developers everywhere."

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But through a combination of open-source intelligence, undercover research, and information from a former member of his network, we traced him to a middle class neighbourhood in Dubai - Jumeirah Village Circle.

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Confidential documents, open-source information and former UGS contractors have enabled us to confirm the identities of a further six Infidels bikers hired to work in Gaza.

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Similarly, open-source alternatives are available for common software packages like Office and Windows, but while proponents say they are more transparent and accessible, none is as comprehensive or well known.

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