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 The suspicion arose from the open-source documents submitted by teams to the FIA, which were then closely analyzed by competing teams. Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024 The open-source nonprofit is also releasing a new edition of its eye-scanning Orb hardware. Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 18 Oct. 2024 News View the Report To provide a broad look at how potential policies under Harris or Trump would shape future U.S. emissions, Orvis’s team at EI used its Energy Policy Simulator, an open-source computer model. Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2024 The Allen Institute, UW Medicine, and Kaiser Permanente Institute together form the Seattle Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Cell Atlas (SEA-AD) consortium, a community resource that makes its open-source data available to students, researchers, and clinicians. New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for open-source 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'open-source.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of open-source was in 1957

Cite this Entry

“Open-source.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open-source. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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