found

1 of 5

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 goHoliday
2
: presented as or incorporated into an artistic work essentially as found
sculpture of fabric, wood, and other found materialsHilton Kramer

found

3 of 5

noun

: free food and lodging in addition to wages
they're paid $175 a month and foundNew 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Harrowing and exhaustive, the five-episode docuseries relies heavily on found footage from within the affected communities, as well as fresh interviews with survivors and authority figures. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025 Olsen, who grew up in Ohio, left Sequoia Capital in 2012 to co-found Drive out of Columbus. Charlotte Hu, Time, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
Gemini was founded by the Winklevoss twins in 2014 and holds more than $21 billion of assets on its platform as of the end of July. Tanaya MacHeel, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025 France’s Fifth Republic, founded by President Charles de Gaulle in 1958, was designed to end the chronic instability that had plagued the Third and Fourth Republics earlier in the 20th century. Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for found

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 hu-n-d-, present tense derivative of 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 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of found was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Found.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/found. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

found

1 of 3

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

More from Merriam-Webster on found

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!