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.

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source code British  

noun

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

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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

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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

An earlier version of the assistant had its source code exposed in February 2025.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Anthropic leaked 500,000 lines of its own source code.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

While employed at Palantir, Jain and Cohen had access to its “crown jewels”—including its source code, internal workspace and customer workflows, the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

They said this would include auditing and inspecting the source code and recommendation system underpinning the app, and rebuilding it for US users using only US user data.

From BBC • Sep. 22, 2025

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