lost and found

noun

plural lost and founds

: a repository for items that have been lost by their owners

The lost and found in my high school had been a locked closet adjacent to the front office for which a secretary had the key.

—Joyce Carol Oates

Examples of lost and found in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The shows featured a continuous storyline surrounding her string of black pearls being lost and found, sending her on a goose chase that began with The Nanny and continued into Can’t Hurry Love, Murphy Brown and High Society. — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026

When asked for directions to the bathroom, lost and found, or a storefront in any language, the hologram gave options. — Alexandra Phelps july 3, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026

Investigators later found the phone in the ship’s lost and found. — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026

Medical aid cases, for example, increased by 38 over that span, and seven cases of people lost and found were reported. — Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lost and found

• aboveground
• battleground
• belowground
• paperbound
• turnaround
• ultrasound
• underground
• wraparound
• abound
• aground
• around
• astound