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

But even if the top AI companies were to radically improve their own guardrails, there would still be the problem of open-source models. —Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026

The platform is also open-source, allowing its code to be reviewed publicly for transparency. —Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026

Strong, open-source LLMs are already available anywhere the internet reaches. —Evan Johnson, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026

Meta announced its Libra project in July 2019, initially pitching an open-source stablecoin backed by a number of payments, tech, and venture capital firms. —Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for open-source

• counterforce
• intercourse
• nonrecourse
• reinforce
• watercourse
• bourse
• coarse
• course
• force
• gorse
• hoarse
• horse