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
Newton redefines robot physics The beta release of Newton Physics Engine, announced today, is open-source, GPU-accelerated, and managed by the Linux Foundation.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
His current company, Axantum, offers Xecrets Ez as an open-source alternative to AxCrypt.
—PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2025
As of Thursday morning, open-source maritime tracking websites showed the Pushpa sailing southwest through the North Sea toward the English Channel, with its eventual destination listed as Vadinar in India.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2025
Damien Symon, an open-source intelligence analyst, said on the social media platform X that India had declared a no-fly zone over the Bay of Bengal for a likely missile test—conducted from a northeastern island—effective Wednesday through Thursday.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open-source
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Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
His current company, Axantum, offers Xecrets Ez as an open-source alternative to AxCrypt.
—PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2025
As of Thursday morning, open-source maritime tracking websites showed the Pushpa sailing southwest through the North Sea toward the English Channel, with its eventual destination listed as Vadinar in India.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2025
Damien Symon, an open-source intelligence analyst, said on the social media platform X that India had declared a no-fly zone over the Bay of Bengal for a likely missile test—conducted from a northeastern island—effective Wednesday through Thursday.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 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 6 Oct. 2025.
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