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source

American  

[sawrs, sohrs] / sɔrs, soʊrs /

noun

• sources
  plural

1. any thing or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained; origin.

   Which foods are sources of calcium?

   Synonyms:

   originator, supplier

2. the beginning or place of origin of a stream or river.

3. a book, statement, person, etc., supplying information.

   Synonyms:

   reference, authority

4. the person or business making interest or dividend payments.

5. a manufacturer or supplier.

6. Archaic. a natural spring or fountain.

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verb (used with object)

• sources,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sourced,
  past participle,  past
• sourcing
  present participle

1. to give or trace the source for.

   The research paper was not accurately sourced.

   The statement was sourced to the secretary of state.

2. to find or acquire a source, especially a supplier, for.

   Some of the components are now sourced in Hong Kong.

verb (used without object)

• sources,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sourced,
  past participle,  past
• sourcing
  present participle

1. to contract a manufacturer or supplier.

   Many large companies are now sourcing overseas.

2. to seek information about or consider possible options, available personnel, or the like.

   a job recruiter who was merely sourcing.

source British  

/ sɔːs /

noun

1. the point or place from which something originates

2. 1. a spring that forms the starting point of a stream; headspring

   2. the area where the headwaters of a river rise

      the source of the Nile

3. a person, group, etc, that creates, issues, or originates something

   the source of a complaint

4. 1. any person, book, organization, etc, from which information, evidence, etc, is obtained

   2. ( as modifier )

      source material

5. anything, such as a story or work of art, that provides a model or inspiration for a later work

6. electronics the electrode region in a field-effect transistor from which majority carriers flow into the interelectrode conductivity channel

7. at the point of origin

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verb

1. to determine the source of a news report or story

2. to originate from

3. (tr) to establish an originator or source of (a product, piece of information, etc)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sourcefulness
  noun
• sourceful
  adjective
• sourceless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sources
  plural

Participles

• sourcing
  present
• sourced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• source
  simple
• sources
  simple
• have sourced
  perfect
• has sourced
  perfect
• am sourcing
  progressive
• are sourcing
  progressive
• is sourcing
  progressive
• have been sourcing
  perfect progressive
• has been sourcing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sourced
  simple
• had sourced
  perfect
• was sourcing
  progressive
• were sourcing
  progressive
• had been sourcing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will source
  simple
• will have sourced
  perfect
• will be sourcing
  progressive
• will have been sourcing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of source

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sours (noun), from Old French sors (masculine), sourse, source (feminine), noun use of past participle of sourdre, from Latin surgere “to spring up or forth”; cf. surge

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Explanation

The noun source describes an origin, like the source who gave the journalist the information that broke a new story, or the place something originates, like the source of a river, or the Web site that is your source for celebrity gossip. The noun source can also refer to information obtained from documents, such as books, letters, newspapers, and journals. For example, when you write a research paper, you read, paraphrase and quote from sources. A source can also be a place where you get things, like a certain store being your source for discount sneakers or something that provides, like oranges, a good source of Vitamin C.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

source sources sourced sourcing

A source close to the FIA said Qatar was "supporting" the Rwandan project.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

"I've condemned racism, antisemitism, hate; I don't care where the source is," the Republican said.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Beyond its source material, several compositional choices lend the Fantasy its disarming sincerity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Instead of relying solely on immune cells that may disappear relatively quickly, the progenitors could provide a continuing source of replacement cells from within the body.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Ivan’s book wasn't entirely correct about the rusalki, and if that was his only source of information...

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

But his collaborators, never forthcoming about their funding sources, soon informed Bruch that the project wasn’t going to work out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

This week in the Fix My Portfolio column, Beth Pinsker answered questions from a woman who, alongside her husband, has prepared carefully for retirement, with several sources of income.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The nature of the allegations or how these two journalistic sources relate to them is not known.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Some bacteria appear capable of using specialized enzymes to attack biodegradable polyesters, potentially allowing them to exploit these materials as sources of energy and nutrients.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

When she finishes, Mr. Griffiths asks about her sources and makes a few suggestions of other places she can check out.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

Backed by Oprah Winfrey, True Food Kitchen says it serves nutrient-dense meals including pasta, salads and chicken dishes with thoughtfully sourced ingredients.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

But currently, around 83% of India's finance for climate mitigation is sourced domestically, according to the government's economic survey.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Around 70% of the inputs for its operations are sourced locally, including chemicals, wellheads and pipes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Taylor Farms announced a voluntary recall of lettuce sourced from central Mexico, while the US fast-food chain Taco Bell said it has removed lettuce from the supplier from its menu.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Our world requires that decisions be sourced and footnoted, and if we say how we feel, we must also be prepared to elaborate on why we feel that way.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

And even companies known for vertical integration, like Tesla, are sourcing their components from outside the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

He brought in new management and invested in technology, eventually sourcing a digital sensor small enough to fit its cameras.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

"If for any reason the company experiences difficulty in sourcing its raw materials, there could be challenges," he told the BBC.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Jordan’s work in film and television has her running around the city sourcing interesting objects, garments and more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Her people, of several shapes and sizes, sourcing from an amalgam of many human races of divergent strains from several near-forgotten planets, all sighed together, like a little wind of sadness.

From The Dark Goddess by Richard Sharpe Shaver

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