What does "source" mean?
The person, place, or thing from which something (information, goods, etc.) comes or is acquired.
Source
/sɔːs/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The person, place, or thing from which something (information, goods, etc.) comes or is acquired.
- Grammar: source is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: origin, reference, root, about origin rotation phrase.
- Useful contrasts: audiences, cease, consequent effect.
- Usage evidence: What is your greatest source of inspiration?
How to use "source"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "source" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "source" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "source" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "source" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "source" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "origin" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "source", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The person, place, or thing from which something (information, goods, etc.) comes or is acquired.
"The accused refused to reveal the source of the illegal drugs she was selling."
- 2 a facility where something is available wordnet
- 3 Spring; fountainhead; wellhead; any collection of water on or under the surface of the ground in which a stream originates.
"The main sources of the Euphrates River are the Karasu and Murat Rivers."
- 4 anything that provides inspiration for later work wordnet
- 5 A reporter's informant.
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 a document (or organization) from which information is obtained wordnet
- 7 Source code.
- 8 a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to wordnet
- 9 The name of one terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).
- 10 the place where something begins, where it springs into being wordnet
- 11 A node in a directed graph whose edges all go out from it; one with no entering edges.
- 12 anything (a person or animal or plant or substance) in which an infectious agent normally lives and multiplies wordnet
- 13 The domain of a function; the object which a morphism points from.
"Coordinate term: target"
- 14 someone who originates or causes or initiates something wordnet
- 15 a person who supplies information wordnet
- 16 (technology) a process by which energy or a substance enters a system wordnet
Verb
- 1 To obtain or procure: used especially of a business resource.
"But the point when it would have to look at alternative new-build vehicles was always looming large, and there would inevitably be a finite number of Class 66s it could source from elsewhere, and a limit to other locomotives it could re-power."
- 2 specify the origin of wordnet
- 3 To find information about (a quotation)'s source (from which it comes): to find a citation for. transitive
- 4 get (a product) from another country or business wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"What is your greatest source of inspiration?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "source"?
Common synonyms include: origin, reference, root, about origin rotation phrase, academic writing term, acquire.
How do you use "source" in a sentence?
What is your greatest source of inspiration?
How do you pronounce "source"?
Pronounced /sɔːs/.
Etymology
From Middle English sours, from Old French sorse (“rise, beginning, spring, source”), from sors, past participle of sordre, sourdre, from Latin surgō (“to rise”), which is composed of sub- (“up from below”) + regō (“lead, rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti (“to straighten; right”), from the root *h₃reǵ-. Doublet of surge.