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source

American  

[sawrs, sohrs] / sɔrs, soʊrs /

noun

• sources
  plural

1. any thing or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained; origin.

   Which foods are sources of calcium?

   Synonyms:

   originator, supplier

2. the beginning or place of origin of a stream or river.

3. a book, statement, person, etc., supplying information.

   Synonyms:

   reference, authority

4. the person or business making interest or dividend payments.

5. a manufacturer or supplier.

6. Archaic. a natural spring or fountain.

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verb (used with object)

• sources,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sourced,
  past participle,  past
• sourcing
  present participle

1. to give or trace the source for.

   The research paper was not accurately sourced.

   The statement was sourced to the secretary of state.

2. to find or acquire a source, especially a supplier, for.

   Some of the components are now sourced in Hong Kong.

verb (used without object)

• sources,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sourced,
  past participle,  past
• sourcing
  present participle

1. to contract a manufacturer or supplier.

   Many large companies are now sourcing overseas.

2. to seek information about or consider possible options, available personnel, or the like.

   a job recruiter who was merely sourcing.

source British  

/ sɔːs /

noun

1. the point or place from which something originates

2. 1. a spring that forms the starting point of a stream; headspring

   2. the area where the headwaters of a river rise

      the source of the Nile

3. a person, group, etc, that creates, issues, or originates something

   the source of a complaint

4. 1. any person, book, organization, etc, from which information, evidence, etc, is obtained

   2. ( as modifier )

      source material

5. anything, such as a story or work of art, that provides a model or inspiration for a later work

6. electronics the electrode region in a field-effect transistor from which majority carriers flow into the interelectrode conductivity channel

7. at the point of origin

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verb

1. to determine the source of a news report or story

2. to originate from

3. (tr) to establish an originator or source of (a product, piece of information, etc)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sourcefulness
  noun
• sourceful
  adjective
• sourceless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sources
  plural

Participles

• sourcing
  present
• sourced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• source
  simple
• sources
  simple
• have sourced
  perfect
• has sourced
  perfect
• am sourcing
  progressive
• are sourcing
  progressive
• is sourcing
  progressive
• have been sourcing
  perfect progressive
• has been sourcing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sourced
  simple
• had sourced
  perfect
• was sourcing
  progressive
• were sourcing
  progressive
• had been sourcing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will source
  simple
• will have sourced
  perfect
• will be sourcing
  progressive
• will have been sourcing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of source

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sours (noun), from Old French sors (masculine), sourse, source (feminine), noun use of past participle of sourdre, from Latin surgere “to spring up or forth”; cf. surge

Explanation

The noun source describes an origin, like the source who gave the journalist the information that broke a new story, or the place something originates, like the source of a river, or the Web site that is your source for celebrity gossip. The noun source can also refer to information obtained from documents, such as books, letters, newspapers, and journals. For example, when you write a research paper, you read, paraphrase and quote from sources. A source can also be a place where you get things, like a certain store being your source for discount sneakers or something that provides, like oranges, a good source of Vitamin C.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

source sources sourced sourcing

They weren’t ready to shut down an energy source that consistently provides up to 9% of California’s electricity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

DeepMind, acquired by Google in 2014, has been a cornerstone of the company’s AI strategy — and also a chronic source of organizational friction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The students, at least, appear to have learned one useful lesson from them: Always check the source — even when the adults hand it to you.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

According to Goepfert, there is no one official source for the stock-market breadth data used in tracking the Omen.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

But radioactive isotopes—the broken bits themselves—can travel far from their source.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Proya Cosmetics will start selling its flagship brand in the U.S. through a partnership with retailer Ulta Beauty, according to sources.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Agency sources told ProPublica that the rolls of New Jersey and Pennsylvania were searched using the Athena Toolbox.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Reform UK sources say no party officials have been interviewed by the police.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Critics have argued that organic material detected in fossils could have entered the specimens much later from microbes, soil, handling, or other environmental sources.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

But upon close inspection, the information invariably traced back to the same dubious sources: private eyes and local lawmen, whose opinions were based on little more than hearsay.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

But in 2015, to enhance competition, Beijing started giving teapots more freedom to refine petroleum sourced from abroad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Taylor Farms was already under scrutiny after it recently recalled its iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico because of the unusually large cyclosporiasis outbreak.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Taylor has since voluntarily removed iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Taylor Farms also issued a recall that day of all iceberg lettuce sourced from Central Mexico from a certain time period.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

As Elisha sourced a crew and supplies for his upcoming Arctic expedition, “examining recruits, inventing cooking stoves, pricing rounds of beef,” he was often on the road.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

“Taylor Fresh Foods is no longer sourcing products from this farmer,” the company said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

Becker said he’s focused on evidence of price gouging in California specifically, where a small handful of refineries serve a relatively isolated market with limited alternatives for sourcing fuel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

"Retailers are experienced in managing supply disruptions and will take all necessary steps, including sourcing from alternative suppliers where appropriate, to minimise any impact on customers."

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Additionally, brands are also looking to diversify sourcing from countries like Bangladesh which was gripped by socio-political turmoil until recently.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Her people, of several shapes and sizes, sourcing from an amalgam of many human races of divergent strains from several near-forgotten planets, all sighed together, like a little wind of sadness.

From The Dark Goddess by Richard Sharpe Shaver

Related Words

• authority
• cause
• expert
• origin