Definition of 'source'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense sources
, present participle sourcing
, past tense, past participle sourced
1. countable noun
2. verb
In business, if a person or firm sources a product or a raw material, they find someone who will supply it.
[business] Together they travel the world, sourcing clothes for the small, privately owned company. [VERB noun]
[Also V from n] 3. countable noun
A source is a person or book that provides information for a news story or for a piece of research.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
source in British English
noun
1.
the point or place from which something originates
2.
a.
3.
a person, group, etc, that creates, issues, or originates something
the source of a complaint
4.
a.
any person, book, organization, etc, from which information, evidence, etc, is obtained
b.
(as modifier)
source material
5.
6. electronics
the electrode region in a field-effect transistor from which majority carriers flow into the interelectrode conductivity channel
verb
9. (transitive; foll by from)
to originate from
10. (transitive)
to establish an originator or source of (a product, piece of information, etc)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C14: from Old French sors, from sourdre to spring forth, from Latin surgere to rise
Word Frequency
source in American English
noun
1.
a spring, fountain, etc. that is the starting point of a stream
2.
that from which something comes into existence, develops, or derives
the sun is our source of energy, the source of a difficulty
3.
a.
any person, place, or thing by which something is supplied
a source of pleasure
b.
a person, book, document, etc. that provides information
to consult various sources
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: sourced or ˈsourcing Informal
5. US
to obtain (parts, materials, etc.) from a source of supply
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈorigin
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
source in American English
(sɔrs, sours) (verb sourced, sourcing)
noun
1.
Which foods are sources of calcium?
2.
the beginning or place of origin of a stream or river
3.
a book, statement, person, etc., supplying information
5.
a manufacturer or supplier
6. archaic
a natural spring or fountain
transitive verb
7.
to give or trace the source for
The research paper was not accurately sourced
The statement was sourced to the Secretary of State
8.
to find or acquire a source, esp. a supplier, for
Some of the components are sourced in Hong Kong
intransitive verb
SYNONYMS 1. supplier, originator. 3. authority, reference.Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
sourceful adjective
sourcefulness
noun
sourceless
adjective
Word origin
[1300–50; ME sours (n.) ‹ OF sors (masc.), sourse, source (fem.), n. use of ptp. of sourdre ‹ L surgere to spring up or forth]Examples of 'source' in a sentence
source
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In other languages
source
British English: source
NOUN /sɔːs/
The source of something is the person, place, or thing which you get it from.
Over 40 percent of adults use television as their major source of information about the arts.
British English: source
VERB /sɔːs/
In business, if a person or firm sources a product or a raw material, they find someone who will supply it.
Together they travel the world, sourcing clothes for the small, privately owned company.
- American English: source /ˈsɔrs/
- Brazilian Portuguese: procurar pelo local de origem de algo
- Chinese: 找
- European Spanish: buscar proveedores
- French: se procurer
- German: beschaffen
- Italian: cercare un fornitore di
- Japanese: 仕入れる
- Korean: 공급지를 찾다
- European Portuguese: procurar pelo local de origem de algo
- Latin American Spanish: buscar proveedores
- Thai: หาแหล่งสินค้าหรือวัตถุดิบ
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