Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense sources, present participle sourcing, past tense, past participle sourced
1. countable noun
The sourceof something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
...over 40 per cent of British adults use television as their major source of informationabout the arts.
Renewable sources of energy must be used where practical.
Tourism, which is a major source of income for the city, may be seriously affected.
Synonyms: informant, authority, documentation More Synonyms of source
2. verb
In business, if a person or firm sources a product or a raw material, they find someone who will supply it.
[business]
Together they travel the world, sourcing clothes for the small, privately owned company. [VERB noun]
About 60 per cent of an average car is sourced from outside of the manufacturer. [VERB noun]
...furniture sourced from all over the world. [VERB-ed]
[Also Vfrom n]
Synonyms: obtain, get, acquire, score [slang] More Synonyms of source
sourcinguncountable noun [oft NOUNof noun]
The union is particularly concerned at the sourcing of products abroad.
3. countable noun
A source is a person or book that provides information for a news story or for a piece ofresearch.
Military sources say the boat was heading south at high speed.
She quotes secondary and primary sources without distinction.
4. countable noun
The source of a difficulty is its cause.
This gave me a clue as to the source of the problem. [+ of]
Synonyms: cause, origin, derivation, beginning More Synonyms of source
5. countable noun [usually singular]
The source of a river or stream is the place where it begins.
...the source of the Tiber. [+ of]
Synonyms: origin, spring, fount, fountainhead More Synonyms of source
source in British English
(sɔːs)
noun
1.
the point or place from which something originates
2.
a.
a spring that forms the starting point of a stream; headspring
b.
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.
a.
any person, book, organization, etc, from which information, evidence, etc, is obtained
b.
(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 source
verb
8.
to determine the source of a news report or story
9. (transitive; foll byfrom)
to originate from
10. (transitive)
to establish an originator or source of (a product, piece of information, etc)
Word origin
C14: from Old French sors, from sourdre to spring forth, from Latin surgere to rise
source in American English
(sɔrs)
noun
1.
a spring, fountain, etc. that is the starting point of a stream
2.
that from which something comes into existence, develops, or derives
the sun is our source of energy, the source of a difficulty
3.
a.
any person, place, or thing by which something is supplied
a source of pleasure
b.
a person, book, document, etc. that provides information
to consult various sources
4.
the point or thing from which light rays, sound waves, etc. emanate
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: sourced or ˈsourcing Informal
5. US
to obtain (parts, materials, etc.) from a source of supply
6. US
to identify the source of (information, quotations, etc.)
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈorigin
Word origin
ME sours < OFr sourse < pp. of sourdre, to rise < L surgere: see surge
COBUILD Collocations
source
alternative source
anonymous source
constant source
important source
light source
main source
primary source
sustainable source
unexpected source
unlikely source
Examples of 'source' in a sentence
source
These manuscripts offer one of the richest sources of information on contemporary life.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Occupational exposure to lead is the major source of lead intake for adults.
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
Truck drivers are a steady source of business.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Sources pointed out that he picked up soft drinks too.
The Sun (2015)
Sources said the company had already looked at a float.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The products we source from them are not connected to the livestock industry.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Pastors also listed other sources such as books and education.
Christianity Today (2000)
We would learn much more about variable sources if we kept on observing them.
Dyson, Freeman Infinite in All Directions (1989)
The main sources of income are the book deals and royalties.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The two official sources of information on crime give different answers to this basic question.
Appelbaum, Richard P. Sociology (1995)
Floor dust turns out to be the major source of bacteria that we breathe.
The Sun (2012)
The farming sector is the second most common source of family business listings.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Sources after this point are often conflicting.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Senior sources admitted the company was exposed to being voted down by independent investors.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Here she presents an inspiring source book filled with hundreds of photos.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The group now specialises in organic produce and sources products from other growers as well as raising its own crops.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Sources working on the negotiations said a price of closer to 70p could seal the deal.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In different areas, different sources will have different importance at different times.
Peter F. Drucker THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER (2001)
The real amount was in six figures, well placed sources insisted.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The source of the river is the spring, we say.
Travers, P L What the Bee Knows - reflections on myth, symbol and story (1989)
On the other hand, he claimed an impeccably placed source for the story.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In practice, finding the information sources that work best for you will involve an element of trial and error.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
She steered clear of charity shops - there was rarely anything that she could afford - but found church jumble sales a good source of cheap clothes.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
source
British English: source NOUN
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
Over 40 percent of adults use television as their major source of information about the arts.
American English: source
Brazilian Portuguese: fonte
Chinese: 来源
European Spanish: fuente
French: source
German: Quelle
Italian: fonte
Japanese: 源
Korean: 출처
European Portuguese: fonte
Latin American Spanish: fuente
British English: source VERB
In business, if a person or firm sources a product or a raw material, they find someone who will supply it.
Together they travel the world, sourcing clothes for the small, privately owned company.
American English: source
Brazilian Portuguese: procurar pelo local de origem de algo
Chinese: 找
European Spanish: buscar proveedores
French: se procurer
German: beschaffen
Italian: cercare un fornitore di
Japanese: 仕入れる
Korean: 공급지를 찾다
European Portuguese: procurar pelo local de origem de algo
Latin American Spanish: buscar proveedores
All related terms of 'source'
at source
at the point of origin
heat source
an object that produces or radiates heat
main source
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
open source
Open source material is computer programming code or software that anyone is allowed to use or modify without asking permission from the company that developed it.
source book
an original writing, as a document, record, or diary , that supplies an authoritative basis for future writing, study, evaluation, etc
source code
Source code is the original form of a computer program as it is written by a programmer . It is then converted into code that the computer can understand .
closed source
intellectual property, esp computer source code , that is not made available to the general public by its creators
income source
something that provides a regular supply of money, such as employment , investments , a pension etc
light source
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
point source
a source of light or other radiation that can be considered to have negligible dimensions
radio source
a celestial object, such as a supernova remnant or quasar , that is a source of radio waves
second-source
of or pertaining to a cooperative arrangement whereby the products , as electronic parts, of one company are also manufactured by another company
constant source
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
current source
A current source is a source that maintains the current at a particular value almost independent of the load conditions.
ignition source
An ignition source is a process or event which can cause a fire or explosion .
primary source
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
source document
a document that has been or will be transcribed to a word processor or to the memory bank of a computer
source language
a language from which a translation is made
source material
original , authoritative , or basic materials utilized in research , as diaries or manuscripts
source program
an original computer program written by a programmer that is converted into the equivalent object program, written in machine language, by the compiler or assembler
unlikely source
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
alternative source
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
anonymous source
A source is a person or book that provides information for a news story or for a piece of research.
important source
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
source materials
publications from which information is obtained
sustainable source
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
unexpected source
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
quasi-stellar radio source
→ quasar
Chinese translation of 'source'
source
(sɔːs)
n(c)
[of money, resources, energy]来(來)源 (láiyuán)
(= person) 消息提供者 (xiāoxi tígōngzhě)
(= book) 原始资(資)料 (yuánshǐ zīliào)
[of river]源头(頭) (yuántóu)
[of problem, anxiety]根源 (gēnyuán) (个(個), gè)
1 (noun)
Definition
the origin or starting point
This gave me a clue as to the source of the problem.
Synonyms
cause
The article lists the major causes of panic attacks.
origin
What is the origin of the word `honeymoon'?
derivation
The derivation of its name is obscure.
beginning
Think of this as a new beginning.
author
the authors of the plan
commencement
All applicants should be at least 16 years of age at the commencement of this course.
begetter
2 (noun)
Definition
any person, book, or organization that provides information for a news report or for research
a major source of information about the arts
Synonyms
informant
authority
documentation
3 (noun)
Definition
the area or spring where a river or stream begins
the source of the Tiber
Synonyms
origin
theories about the origin of life
spring
the hidden springs of consciousness
fount
fountainhead
wellspring
Nature has always been the wellspring of her art.
rise
(verb)
Definition
to establish a supplier of (a product, etc)
furniture sourced from all over the world
Synonyms
obtain
Evans was trying to obtain a false passport.
get
The problem was how to get enough food.
acquire
She has acquired a 50% stake in the company.
score (slang)
We scored some dope last night.
secure
His achievements helped him to secure the job.
get hold of
come by
procure
It was difficult to procure food and other daily necessitites.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of acquire
Definition
to get or develop (something such as an object, trait, or ability)
She has acquired a 50% stake in the company.
Synonyms
get,
win,
buy,
receive,
land (informal),
score (slang),
gain,
achieve,
earn,
pick up,
bag,
secure,
collect,
gather,
realize,
obtain,
attain,
amass,
procure,
come into possession of
in the sense of author
Definition
an originator or creator
the authors of the plan
Synonyms
creator,
father,
mother,
parent,
maker,
producer,
framer,
designer,
founder,
architect,
planner,
inventor,
mover,
originator,
prime mover,
doer,
initiator,
begetter,
fabricator
in the sense of begetter
Synonyms
creator,
author,
founder,
architect,
inventor,
originator
Synonyms of 'source'
source
Explore 'source' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of beginning
Definition
a start
Think of this as a new beginning.
Synonyms
start,
opening,
break (informal),
chance,
source,
opportunity,
birth,
origin,
introduction,
outset,
starting point,
onset,
overture,
initiation,
inauguration,
inception,
commencement,
opening move
in the sense of commencement
Definition
the beginning
All applicants should be at least 16 years of age at the commencement of this course.
Synonyms
beginning,
start,
opening,
launch,
birth,
origin,
dawn (literary),
outset,
onset,
initiation,
inauguration,
inception,
embarkation
in the sense of derivation
Definition
the origin or descent of something, such as a word
The derivation of its name is obscure.
Synonyms
origin,
source,
basis,
beginning,
root,
foundation,
descent,
ancestry,
genealogy,
etymology
in the sense of get
Definition
to come into possession of
The problem was how to get enough food.
Synonyms
obtain,
receive,
gain,
acquire,
win,
land (informal),
score (slang),
achieve,
net,
pick up,
bag,
secure,
attain,
reap,
get hold of,
come by,
glean,
procure,
get your hands on,
come into possession of
in the sense of procure
Definition
to get or provide
It was difficult to procure food and other daily necessitites.