sole-source

American

[sohl-sawrs, -sohrs] / ˈsoʊlˈsɔrs, -ˈsoʊrs /

adjective

designating a company contracted, without competition, to be the sole supplier of a product or service, as a firm having an exclusive contract for certain military technology.

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

sole-source

Spirit was Boeing’s sole-source supplier for nearly all the products Spirit sold to it, and Spirit itself was drowning in losses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

The sole-source $7 million grant aimed to advance “Anglo-American values” in the U.K.,

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

This is known as a competitive sole-source contract.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 22, 2024

County governments in Hawaii rely on a finance director as the only review for contracts recommended by department heads, including sole-source purchases.

From New York Times ● Oct. 25, 2023

Over the past year, Air Force leaders have repeatedly said a sole-source contract to Boeing is the likely outcome, although a final decision has not been made.

From Reuters ● Jun. 18, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023