open-source
adjective
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
Steve Lohr2
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
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
Nick WatersExamples of open-source in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chainguard, another repeat Cyber 60 startup that’s focused on security vulnerabilities in open-source software, raised an additional $280 million in funding last week.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
In a detail noted as a first by many open-source intelligence analysts, satellite imagery captured massive pools of blood in the city visible from space.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
Every year, tens of thousands of new vulnerabilities are discovered in enterprise and open-source software.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
Meta recently formed a JV with Blue Owl Capital worth $27 billion to build a massive data center in Louisiana to support AI including its open-source Llama 4, its latest generative AI model, introduced in April.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open-source
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
In a detail noted as a first by many open-source intelligence analysts, satellite imagery captured massive pools of blood in the city visible from space.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
Every year, tens of thousands of new vulnerabilities are discovered in enterprise and open-source software.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
Meta recently formed a JV with Blue Owl Capital worth $27 billion to build a massive data center in Louisiana to support AI including its open-source Llama 4, its latest generative AI model, introduced in April.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open-source
Cite this Entry
“Open-source.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open-source. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share