open-source

adjective

ˈō-pən-ˈsȯrs 

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

Using Google’s open-source Plus Codes, the Rural Utah Project has helped register over 9,000 rural voters, which includes more than 3,100 new addresses for Navajo residents. —Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2024

Bellingcat, the open-source investigative-journalism group, which is known for reporting on wars and international espionage via the public domain, operates a newsroom of about forty full-time staff on an annual budget of four million euros. —Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024

In this program, Zachary Pardos, associate professor of Education at UC Berkeley, talks about efforts to create more equitable access to adaptive learning technology with the introduction of the first open-source adaptive tutoring system based on Intelligent Tutoring System principles. —David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2024

Many of the offerings also include open-source AI models, bringing the capabilities of these powerful generative AI tools to organizations that might not have the technical resources or skills to deploy it on their own. —John Kell, Fortune, 2 May 2024

The device costs only $200 compared to the $700 Humane pin, which is partially due to open-source software coupled with less expensive hardware. —Kyle Bar / Gizmodo, Quartz, 1 May 2024

Still, Zuckerberg laid out in another earnings call this year that Meta has strategic interests in positioning itself as a leader in open-source software infrastructure. —Angela Yang, NBC News, 26 Apr. 2024

Meta has already rolled out multiple consumer-facing AI tools, including AI-enabled smart glasses built in collaboration with Ray-Ban and its open-source Llama 3 AI model. —Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024

This push for transparency is driven in part by the deluge of publicly available open-source intelligence, which invites doubts about the value of the intelligence community in a world where Bellingcat and other investigative groups seem to know as much as governments. —David V. Gioe, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 2