open-source

adjective

ˈō-pən-ˈsȯrs 

1

a

of software : having the source code freely available for possible modification and redistribution

an open-source operating system

b

: of, relating to, or promoting open-source software

the open-source movement/community

Instead, they opted for the open-source model, in which computer code is openly shared, allowing programmers to modify, improve and fix the software.

—Steve Lohr

2

a

: publicly available for use by the community at large

open-source images

The team uses open-source materials such as obituaries in local newspapers and cemetery visits for its count.

—Brendan Hoffman

b

: relating to or utilizing information that is publicly available

an open-source analysis

Since the advent of the internet, social media and smartphones, open-source intelligence has undergone a revolution as people willingly and publicly post vast amounts of information online. Actors outside of the traditional intelligence community have begun to take notice.

—Nick Waters

Examples of open-source in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Will there be a Microsoft product based on the open-source Stable Diffusion AI image generator? —Michael Muchmore, PCMAG, 20 May 2024

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, published a series of maps on Wednesday based on open-source information showing that Russian forces have seized territory in recent days in at least four towns in northeastern Ukraine: Hlyboke, Neskuchne, Starytsya and Vovchansk. —Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 19 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 2