Listen:
Inflections of 'source v ⇒ conjugate )sources v 3rd person singular sourcing v pres p sourced v past sourced v past p
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026 source /sɔrs/USA pronunciation
n. [ countable ]
any thing or place from which something comes or is obtained;He is the source of most of the discontent in the office. the beginning or place of origin of a stream or river. a book, person, document, etc., supplying esp. firsthand information:Good newspaper reporters always double-check their sources.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026 source
(sôrs, sōrs),USA pronunciation n., v., sourced, sourcing.
n.
any thing or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained;Which foods are sources of calcium? the beginning or place of origin of a stream or river. a book, statement, person, etc., supplying information. the person or business making interest or dividend payments. a manufacturer or supplier. [ Archaic.] v.t.
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, esp. a supplier, for:Some of the components are now sourced in Hong Kong. v.i.
to contract a manufacturer or supplier:Many large companies are now sourcing overseas. to seek information about or consider possible options, available personnel, or the like:a job recruiter who was merely sourcing. Latin surgere to spring up or forth Old French sors (masculine), sourse, source (feminine), noun, nominal use of past participle of sourdre Middle English sours (noun, nominal) 1300–50 source′ ful , adj. source′ ful•ness , n. source′ less , adj. 1. supplier, originator. 3. authority, reference.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
source /sɔːs / n the point or place from which something originates a spring that forms the starting point of a stream; headspring the area where the headwaters of a river rise a person, group, etc, that creates, issues, or originates something : the source of a complaint any person, book, organization, etc, from which information, evidence, etc, is obtained (as modifier ) : source material anything, such as a story or work of art, that provides a model or inspiration for a later work at source ⇒ at the point of origin vb to determine the source of a news report or story (transitive ) followed by from : to originate from (transitive ) to establish an originator or source of (a product, piece of information, etc) Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French sors, from sourdre to spring forth, from Latin surgere to rise
'source ' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
