source code

American  

[sawrs kohd] / ˈsɔrs ˌkoʊd /

noun

Computers.

1. program instructions written in a programming language that is readable by humans and that must be converted to machine language before being executed.

---

source code British  

noun

1. computing the original form of a computer program before it is converted into a machine-readable code

---

source code Scientific  

/ sôrs /

1. Code written by a programmer in a high-level language and readable by people but not computers. Source code must be converted to object code or machine language by a compiler before a computer can read or execute the program.

2. Compare object code

---

Compare meaning

How does source-code compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• source code vs. object code

Example Sentences

Last November, Google’s Threat Intelligence Group published a report showing that bad actors are deploying AI-enhanced malware with the capability to rewrite its source code midexecution to avoid antivirus software.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

A dive into the workings of Claude Code’s source code shows a remarkably complicated system built from plain old-fashioned programming, say experts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Builders of today’s frontier AIs are desperate to inject that kind of specialized knowledge into their models, says Himanshu Dubey, an AI researcher based in Bengaluru, India, who has analyzed the leaked Anthropic source code.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

An earlier version of the source code had also been leaked in February 2025.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

And he would also have had access to the planet’s source code, if he’d wanted to hide something here.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline