source noun
1 where you get sth from
ADJ. excellent, fertile, good, lucrative, reliable, rich, valuable a fertile source of ideas a lucrative source of income a rich source of vitamins | important, main, major, principal | cheap a cheap source of labour | external, foreign Do you have any foreign sources of income? | independent an independent source of funding | additional | alternative We need to look for alternative sources of energy. | natural | renewable The village obtains all its energy from renewable sources. | energy, food, heat, light, power, water
VERB + SOURCE be, constitute, prove, provide The census constitutes the principal source of official statistics. These crustaceans provide a valuable food source for some fish. | exploit, tap, use (as) The government hopes to tap new sources of employment in the area of health. | locate We tried to locate the source of the sound.
PREP. at ~ Under the PAYE system, employees' income is taxed at source (= by the employer). | ~ of a reliable source of advice
PHRASES a variety of sources The research was funded from a wide variety of sources.
2 person, book, etc. that gives information
ADJ. invaluable, useful, valuable | authoritative, informed, reliable, reputable | unreliable | original | independent | anonymous | primary, secondary | published | biographical, documentary, historical, literary, written | diplomatic, government, intelligence, military, official, police Intelligence sources report a build-up of troops just inside the border. | data, information
VERB + SOURCE use (as) | cite, quote Researchers try to quote primary sources wherever possible. | disclose, name, reveal The police refused to reveal the source of their information.
SOURCE + VERB claim sth, describe sth, disclose sth, indicate sth, report sth, reveal sth, say sth, suggest sth Government sources indicated that a compromise might be reached. One source said: ‘Our blood is up. We are angry at the way we have been treated.’ | deny sth
SOURCE + NOUN material
PREP. according to ~s According to informed sources, a takeover bid is planned for next month. | ~ of
PHRASES sources close to sb Sources close to the player claim he won't be entering this year's championship.
You can also check other dicts: source (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition