as in creator
a person who establishes a whole new field of endeavor
Maria Montessori was the founder of an educational system dedicated to maximizing a child's creative potential
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1
as in to collapse
to be unsuccessful
the theater company foundered after its corporate funding dried up
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to go
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure
the twin towers started to sway and suddenly foundered
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Examples of founder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2024
Jones, the founder of the Robin Hood Foundation, cautioned against looking at betting odds as a reliable source for the presidential election, which currently favor Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris by a wide margin.
—Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Oct. 2024
Frederic Hof, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2022
The House bill foundered in the Senate, but Johnson has since tried to force Democrats to vote for it as part of a spending package to keep the government from shutting down this fall.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for founder 
Noun
This past year, Barra has directed a reorganization at Cruise, ousting its founders and replacing them with auto and tech industry veterans.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2024
Jones, the founder of the Robin Hood Foundation, cautioned against looking at betting odds as a reliable source for the presidential election, which currently favor Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris by a wide margin.
—Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
The effort foundered in 2011 when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters horrified U.S. officials and sank the negotiations.
—Frederic Hof, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2022
The House bill foundered in the Senate, but Johnson has since tried to force Democrats to vote for it as part of a spending package to keep the government from shutting down this fall.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for founder
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'founder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near founder
Cite this Entry
“Founder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/founder. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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