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

It's still early to look at the data thoroughly, he said, but historically, activity with Crowdsource Rescue correlates with 911 availability in the area at the time or neighbors' hesitancy to rely on 911.

From Washington Post • Aug. 30, 2021

Crowdsource the review process, instead of keeping it in the bureaucracy’s lockbox.

From Washington Post • Jul. 17, 2015