source
Americannoun
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sources
plural
-
any thing or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained; origin.
Which foods are sources of calcium?
- Synonyms:
- originator, supplier
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the beginning or place of origin of a stream or river.
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a book, statement, person, etc., supplying information.
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the person or business making interest or dividend payments.
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a manufacturer or supplier.
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Archaic. a natural spring or fountain.
verb (used with object)
-
sources,
present (3rd person singular)
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sourced,
past participle, past
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sourcing
present participle
-
to give or trace the source for.
The research paper was not accurately sourced.
The statement was sourced to the secretary of state.
-
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
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sourcing
present participle
-
to contract a manufacturer or supplier.
Many large companies are now sourcing overseas.
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to seek information about or consider possible options, available personnel, or the like.
a job recruiter who was merely sourcing.
noun
-
the point or place from which something originates
-
-
a spring that forms the starting point of a stream; headspring
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the area where the headwaters of a river rise
the source of the Nile
-
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a person, group, etc, that creates, issues, or originates something
the source of a complaint
-
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any person, book, organization, etc, from which information, evidence, etc, is obtained
-
( as modifier )
source material
-
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anything, such as a story or work of art, that provides a model or inspiration for a later work
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electronics the electrode region in a field-effect transistor from which majority carriers flow into the interelectrode conductivity channel
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at the point of origin
verb
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to determine the source of a news report or story
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to originate from
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(tr) to establish an originator or source of (a product, piece of information, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sourcesimple
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sourcessimple
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have sourcedperfect
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has sourcedperfect
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am sourcingprogressive
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are sourcingprogressive
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is sourcingprogressive
-
have been sourcingperfect progressive
-
has been sourcingperfect progressive
Past
-
sourcedsimple
-
had sourcedperfect
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was sourcingprogressive
-
were sourcingprogressive
-
had been sourcingperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing source
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A French security source told AFP the agency would keep using the software in the meantime, since it cannot afford operational disruptions while ChapsVision's tool completes development.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Beyond just what we release ourselves, we’re very strong advocates that open source should not be something that people try to restrict or lock down,” Zuckerberg told the officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
It is common for cosmetics to be a source of stability for luxury brands, providing higher profit margins and an accessible entry point for consumers.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The answer is best summarized by a response from one of the documentary’s co-directors, Julia Willoughby Nason, when asked whether she thinks Netflix is the top source for true crime obsessives.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
I can almost hear my heart beating as I strain to detect the source of the noise.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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Overall, Shamrell said the second quarter marked stronger savings trends as Americans gradually learn more about retirement through different media outlets, personal-finance influencers, podcasts and myriad other information sources.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Middle East tensions and elevated oil prices are also still sources of risks for the yellow metal, Chrysikos adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The deer also reduce habitat and food sources for native birds and mammals, like the endemic Catalina Island fox, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The retailer needs a "mid-air engine swap" to rebuild its supply chain on diversified inventory sources beyond shipping directly from China, he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Well,” Mr. Bonner goes on, “if the person feels as though they have enough information—names, dates, access to primary sources like newspapers and photographs—they can seek out some truth that way.”
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
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Some flowers were sourced at specialty flower vendors located up and down the California coast, while others are freebies she’s happened upon around town, or hand-me-downs donated by kindred spirits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
"Heavy" rare earths, which are more difficult to mine and more highly desirable, are largely sourced outside the United States.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
The charcoal-grilled hanger steak, which Pettingell said is sourced from natural beef ranchers, is by far the biggest cost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Taylor Farms was already under scrutiny after it recently recalled its iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico because of the unusually large cyclosporiasis outbreak.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
As Elisha sourced a crew and supplies for his upcoming Arctic expedition, “examining recruits, inventing cooking stoves, pricing rounds of beef,” he was often on the road.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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A Hershey representative said that El Niño doesn’t always mean a bad West African crop, and that the company is diversifying its sourcing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
To add a little something extra, Clarke suggests "sourcing characterful pieces".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Daiwa Securities estimates that King Slide’s share of Nvidia-related rail-kit orders could fall to about 75% next year as the AI chip maker diversifies its sourcing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Even as propaganda, it was pretty dumb — never discounting for currency fluctuation, alternative sourcing or domestic capacity increases, to name a few counterindicators.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.