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
The earphones and their accompanying software are both open-source, meaning that third parties are free to tweak them and share the results with other users.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 8 Apr. 2025
One of the crucial breakthroughs in unlocking the power of parallel computing, for instance, was an open-source programming language called Brook, which a gamer and Stanford graduate student named Ian Buck developed with a group of researchers in 2003, relying on a Defense Department grant.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences used the occasion of the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas to announce the availability of its Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) 2.0, a new version of the open-source color and digital image file management system.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 7 Apr. 2025
Jeremie Miller, who created the pioneering open-source instant-messaging system Jabber (and later became a Bluesky board member), sat in on the interviews as a consultant.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open-source
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Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 8 Apr. 2025
One of the crucial breakthroughs in unlocking the power of parallel computing, for instance, was an open-source programming language called Brook, which a gamer and Stanford graduate student named Ian Buck developed with a group of researchers in 2003, relying on a Defense Department grant.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences used the occasion of the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas to announce the availability of its Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) 2.0, a new version of the open-source color and digital image file management system.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 7 Apr. 2025
Jeremie Miller, who created the pioneering open-source instant-messaging system Jabber (and later became a Bluesky board member), sat in on the interviews as a consultant.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 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 15 Apr. 2025.
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