foundling

noun

found·​ling ˈfau̇n(d)-liŋ 

: an infant found after its unknown parents have abandoned it

Examples of foundling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The connection between the films goes far beyond the presence of a foundling. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026

When Heathcliff, a foundling, discovers that Cathy Earnshaw, the daughter of the impoverished Yorkshire lord who’s taken him in, has played a prank on him by putting eggs in his beds to be crushed, the boy plunges his fingers into the slippery puddle of yolk and albumen left behind. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026

Cathy might be as uninhibited as Heathcliff when roaming the outdoors, but a woman of her status can’t be allowed to marry a foundling, especially one who now works for her family as a servant. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026

The idea for the Innocenti began in medieval times and required more than a century of plans, donations, and negotiations before the arrival of its first trovatello, foundling. — Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025

There were grim meetings with every male foundling who landed on the streets or showed up at city hospitals. — Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 3 May 2025

But Mufasa's welcome is no kinder than the reception Dickens doled out to the foundlings scattered throughout his novels. — Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024

Clementine seems a foundling in need of any stable influence, while in her spookily near-complete isolation (there’s no hint of contact with friends or family), Kelly-Anne could use a little basic humanizing. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Sep. 2024

The tiny foundling — so small the women could scoop it up by hand — means that there is at least one breeding pair in the area. — Freda Kreier, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fundelyng, foundlynge, from funde, founde, founden (past participle of finden "to find entry 1") + -lyng, -lynge -ling entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

foundling

noun

found·​ling ˈfau̇n-(d)liŋ 

: an infant found after being abandoned by unknown parents

Medical Definition

foundling

noun

found·​ling ˈfau̇n-(d)liŋ 

: an infant found after its unknown parents have abandoned it