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
-
the beginning or place of origin of a stream or river.
-
a book, statement, person, etc., supplying information.
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the person or business making interest or dividend payments.
-
a manufacturer or supplier.
-
Archaic. a natural spring or fountain.
verb (used with object)
-
sources,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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
-
sourcing
present participle
-
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.
noun
-
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
the source of the Nile
-
-
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
-
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
-
are sourcingprogressive
-
is sourcingprogressive
-
have been sourcingperfect progressive
-
has been sourcingperfect progressive
Past
-
sourcedsimple
-
had sourcedperfect
-
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)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
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:
That comparison narrows significantly if you include water used to generate their electricity, which is why location and power source matter.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Through inhibition, the brain was seen as the self’s control center: the source of our ability not just to see, for instance, but to focus, to pay attention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
"Thanks to this high-quality source, a great many muonium atoms can be produced."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Charlene remembered her nephew as a source of happiness in her home, a cheerful presence who once used his allowance to buy his mother a stuffed unicorn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
He pulled himself along, faster and faster, careless of his bleeding hands and aching legs, toward the source of that icy wind and the glimmer of white that beckoned him.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
D-serine is sometimes used as a dietary supplement, but an important distinction can get lost in discussions of food sources.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
OpenAI employees discussed opportunities to skirt news sites’ paywalls, and leaders at both companies said their products replaced the need for users to check out original sources, according to the filing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
State-run Saudi Aramco said it was looking to get back up to full capacity in about six weeks, Bloomberg cited sources as saying.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Investigators gathered video from a matrix of security cameras that surround the busy intersection to support their contention that Rios’ actions amounted to murder with implied malice, according to law enforcement sources.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Meanwhile, in the first days of December intelligence reports about British troop movements began streaming into Washington’s headquarters from various sources.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
Around 70% of the inputs for its operations are sourced locally, including chemicals, wellheads and pipes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The drones are powered by turbojet engines, some of which, according to Ukrainian military intelligence, are sourced from China.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
A seaglass chandelier sourced on a trip to Bali once drove a neighbor to complain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
But it, too, relied on cheap components sourced through China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 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
Two wholesalers interviewed by AFP on condition of anonymity said they are still sourcing from Iran, notably via Omani ports.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Despite these difficulties, analysts expected Inditex to maintain strong momentum, helped by its local sourcing strategy, diversified transport methods and its highly integrated logistics platform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
They both call for increasing public green space throughout L.A. and sourcing 70% of the city’s water locally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
To add a little something extra, Clarke suggests "sourcing characterful pieces".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 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.
