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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Using an almost square aspect ratio, DP Pierce Derks makes the northern Ontario wilderness locations both lovely and sinister, with enough variety to the visual tactics that the film never gets stuck in found footage horror’s first-person-camera stylistic rut. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024

The third season of The Witcher has drawn to a close, with the finale ending on yet another cliffhanger and the found family of Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri once again separated by circumstance and plot machinations. —Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 30 July 2023

In the form of poetry commonly known as erasure, a poet prunes a found body of language—often an official document or a canonical work of literature—whose ablations paradoxically lead to revelation, uncovering subtext, lyricism, lost histories, and politics barely hidden beneath the surface. —Nicole Sealey, The New Yorker, 24 July 2023

Curtis holds his found family of friends very, very dear to him. —Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 June 2023

Legge and his cinematographer, Oona Menges, use period cameras and lenses to shoot the film and otherwise employ found footage. —Vulture, 23 May 2023

And Jonathan Honey, 33, was found on April 1, a day after he was last seen at a food truck on Rainey Street. TEXANS SOUNDING SAFETY ALARMS AFTER LATEST BODY FOUND IN LAKE Autopsy reports were not publicly available, but police said the victims showed no signs of trauma or foul play. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 17 Apr. 2023

Townsend’s whimsical clay sculptures often incorporate found elements from the roadside. —The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2023

Holley’s sculptures are constructed from found materials in the tradition of African American sculpture. —Brent Lang, Variety, 22 Mar. 2023

Verb

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. —Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024

Facebook was founded in 2004 by some smarty-pants college students whose one goal was to get women. —Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024

World Central Kitchen was founded by renowned chef turned philanthropist Jose Andres. —ABC News, 7 Apr. 2024

Charles Diedrich, a former alcoholic, initially founded his storefront rehabilitation center in Santa Monica that would become known as the Synanon Foundation in 1958. —Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 7 Apr. 2024

Made in America, the Labor Day festival founded by Jay-Z in Philadelphia that added a downtown L.A. satellite in 2014, canceled for the second year in a row. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024

Some have gone on to work for NASA, or for the private companies SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, and Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024

An iconic fixture of LA's Sunset Strip, The Comedy Store was founded by Shore's parents, Sammy and Mitzi Shore, and screenwriter Rudy DeLuca in 1972. —Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

Doing so will allow Americans to come closer to the country’s founding principles of inclusivity, respect for human dignity, and exchange of cultures and ideas. —Giorgi Minasovi and Jonathan Jk Stoltman, STAT, 5 Apr. 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

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

Kids Definition

found

1 of 3

ˈfau̇nd 

past and past participle of find

found

2 of 3 verb

: establish sense 3a

found a colony

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