crowdsource
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of crowdsource
First recorded in 2006; crowd 1 + (out)source
Explanation
When you crowdsource something, you call on the general public for help or ideas. For example, some companies crowdsource recommendations for the name of a new product. Social media is a good place to crowdsource: a request for assistance can attract a large number of volunteers. Social media posts have crowdsourced donations to help after natural disasters. The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) has crowdsourced the search for potentially dangerous asteroids. Amateur astronomers can volunteer to review NASA photographs of outer space, looking for any large asteroids that might be on a collision course with Earth. That’s a use of crowdsourcing we can all be thankful for.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Ukrainian troops tapped crowdsource intelligence on Russian troop positions, aggregated through software similar to ride-sharing apps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
The service charges “requesters” a commission to crowdsource tasks—such as completing a survey or solving a puzzle—to remote workers paid for each one.
From Science Magazine ● May 9, 2024
They also recruited the help of the broader birding community to crowdsource additional observational data about which birds were feeding on cicadas.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2023
“The idea that you can crowdsource support is new,” Richardson said.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 22, 2023
After a call with Rabbi Pardo and a crowdsource of several of his YU WhatsApp groups, someone told him of a chevra kadisha, a burial society, he could try.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
In 2012, a French programmer called Stéphane Gigandet launched a free, online and crowdsourced food product database called Open Food Facts during the Food Revolution Day organised by English chef Jamie Oliver.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Neighborhood doorbell cameras, Flock license plate readers and hyperlocal social media sites like Nextdoor create a crowdsourced record of all people’s movements in public spaces.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
The fleet has grown to 51 electric vehicles, up from 32 at the end of December, according to a crowdsourced robotaxi tracker.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026
Lai argued that he wasn’t an organizer of the campaign and had merely provided bridge loans when crowdsourced funds were temporarily frozen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
The crowdsourced website teslafsdtracker.com reports FSD version 14.1.7 traveled over 9,000 miles between critical disengagements.
From Barron's ● Dec. 14, 2025
It’s adopted new methods of collecting information from individuals and businesses, relying more in data aggregators and crowdsourcing.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 23, 2026
The city engaged residents by crowdsourcing names for some of the robots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Musk's crowdsourcing of ideas from random Twitter weirdoes is a troubling sign of where this could go next.
From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2025
Shaking was felt as far away as the city of Los Angeles, Orange County and northern San Diego County, according to crowdsourcing reports sent to the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2024
It now supports many kitchens across Khartoum in serving meals to about 1,300 people a day; out of desperation for funding, Elbalal is reliant on a crowdsourcing campaign to save lives.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2024
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
