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
Listing image: The Arcade Crew Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history.
—Kevin Purdy, ArsTechnica, 16 May 2025
Simultaneously, the adoption of open-source tools and transparent standards will be essential for ensuring vendor-neutrality, fostering innovation and democratizing access to trustworthy infrastructure components.
—Anuj Tyagi, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Proton's open-source philosophy is also a huge asset to the company.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 15 May 2025
In 2023, Meta began heavily pushing its freely available and open-source Llama family of AI models to compete with OpenAI, Google and others.
—Hayden Field,jonathan Vanian,jennifer Elias, CNBC, 14 May 2025
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Kevin Purdy, ArsTechnica, 16 May 2025
Simultaneously, the adoption of open-source tools and transparent standards will be essential for ensuring vendor-neutrality, fostering innovation and democratizing access to trustworthy infrastructure components.
—Anuj Tyagi, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Proton's open-source philosophy is also a huge asset to the company.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 15 May 2025
In 2023, Meta began heavily pushing its freely available and open-source Llama family of AI models to compete with OpenAI, Google and others.
—Hayden Field,jonathan Vanian,jennifer Elias, CNBC, 14 May 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 25 May. 2025.
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