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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

According to a regional airline source, their carrier was told by Saudi authorities on Friday the airport would remain closed until further notice, with no further details provided.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

There are between 7 million and 10 million people in the U.S. ages 65 and over who are renters, depending on the source.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

It’s the fundamental source of Brooke’s sadness, and her attempt to exorcise it, that sets the plot boiling, when she reveals that her new book is not a novel but a memoir.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

She said she faced the prospect of having no heating this winter or using the money for an alternative heating source.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

At last, after months of searching, Roz had reached the source of the poison tide.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Netflix’s strategy of mainly releasing movies on its platform instead of doing large theatrical windows also was a turnoff for some talent who wanted to see their work on the big screen, some sources said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Among those sources of conflict expressed in “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” are the years that comprised the Harlem Renaissance, or the New Negro Movement as it was often referred to at the time.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

"We remain committed to both the Loughton project and the UK and we are exploring alternative power sources for the site, in addition to other expansion sites in the UK," an Nscale spokesperson said Monday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

“On balance, we see these transactions as consistent with CSL management’s revised R&D strategy, including the development of candidates from external sources relevant to existing therapeutic areas,” analyst David L. Bailey says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

The composer's expert control over such feelings of expectation and arrival are one of the main sources of the listener's enjoyment of the music.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

She had to wait 22 months before she got a face-to-face appointment with a private specialist she sourced herself after her British Athletics funding ended.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

However, the court heard that test kits sent out to customers - sourced from Turkey - did not meet the required standards in the UK.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

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

A seaglass chandelier sourced on a trip to Bali once drove a neighbor to complain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 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

The United States also has made sourcing rare earths and improving its energy mix key parts of its foreign policy.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Taylor Farms suspended sourcing and production of iceberg lettuce from central Mexico in July.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

Lidl GB said it was "committed to sourcing fish and seafood from responsibly managed fisheries".

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 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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