found

1 of 5

ˈfau̇nd 

past tense and past participle of find

found

2 of 5

adjective

1

: having all usual, standard, or reasonably expected equipment

the boat comes fully found, ready to go

—Holiday

2

: presented as or incorporated into an artistic work essentially as found

sculpture of fabric, wood, and other found materials

—Hilton Kramer

found

3 of 5

noun

: free food and lodging in addition to wages

they're paid $175 a month and found

—New Yorker

found

4 of 5

verb (1)

founded; founding; founds

transitive verb

1

: to take the first steps in building

2

: to set or ground on something solid : base

3

: to establish (something) often with provision for future maintenance

found an institution

found

5 of 5

verb

founded; founding; founds

transitive verb

: to melt (a material, such as metal) and pour into a mold

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• begin
• constitute
• establish
• inaugurate
• initiate
• innovate
• institute
• introduce
• launch
• pioneer
• plant
• set up
• start

Examples of found in a Sentence

Verb (1)

John Harvard did not actually found the university that now bears his name

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The coziest part about this quick-reading fiction isn’t the magic, but rather the found family that the main character forges along the way. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2024

The Taking of Deborah Logan is a high-water mark for found footage. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 13 Sep. 2024

Jafa won the 2019 Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale for The White Album (208), a 30-minute collage of found and personal footage that explores Black-white relations which, per his message, can even at their best be awkward—and at their worst, deadly. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019

Some of Sonya Michel’s assemblages employ found cardboard, including an egg carton, while one paints a floral-like picture with colored pulp. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 5 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of find entry 1

Noun

from past participle of find entry 1

Verb (1)

Middle English founden, borrowed from Anglo-French fonder, funder, going back to Latin fundāre, derivative of fundus "bottom, base, foundation" — more at bottom entry 1

Verb

borrowed from Middle French fondre "to melt, cast," going back to Old French, going back to Latin fundere "to pour, shed, cast, send forth, disperse," going back to Indo-European *ǵ^hu-n-d-, present tense derivative of *ǵ^heu̯d- "pour" (also Germanic, in Old English gēotan "to pour, shed," Old High German giozan, Old Norse gjóta "to drop, throw, give birth [of animals]," Gothic giutan "to pour"), extended form of Indo-European *ǵ^heu̯- "pour," whence Greek chéō, cheîn "to pour, shed," Tocharian B kewu "I will pour," Sanskrit juhoti "(s/he) pours, sacrifices"

First Known Use

Adjective

1758, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1830, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1562, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing found

• co-found
• found object
• found poem
• found wanting
• is nowhere to be found
• lost and found
• nowhere to be found
• well-found

Kids Definition

found

1 of 3

ˈfau̇nd 

past and past participle of find

found

2 of 3 verb

: establish sense 3a

found a town

founded the company in 1847

found

3 of 3 verb

: to melt (metal) and pour into a mold

Etymology

Verb

Middle English founden "found, establish," from early French funder (same meaning), from Latin fundare (same meaning), from fundus "bottom, base" — related to fund, fundamental

Verb

from early French fondre "to pour, melt," from Latin fundere (same meaning) — related to font entry 2, founder entry 2

Legal Definition

found

1 of 2

past and past participle of find

found

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to establish (as an institution) often with provision for future maintenance