crowdsource

American  

[kroud-sawrs, -sohrs] / ˈkraʊdˌsɔrs, -ˌsoʊrs /

verb (used with or without object)

crowdsourced, crowdsourcing

1. to utilize (labor, information, etc.) contributed by the general public to (a project), often via the internet and without compensation.

   The team's use of Facebook to crowdsource accurate scientific data allowed the project to be completed on time.

   The newspaper crowdsourced its investigation into the scandal.

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crowdsource British  

/ ˈkraʊdˌsɔːs /

verb

1. to outsource work to an unspecified group of people, typically by making an appeal to the general public on the internet

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Other Word Forms

• crowdsourcing noun

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

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