founder 1 of 2

noun

ˈfau̇n-dər How to pronounce founder (audio)
Definition of foundernext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

founder

2 of 2

verb

ˈfau̇n-dər How to pronounce founder (audio)
1
as in to collapse
to be unsuccessful the theater company foundered after its corporate funding dried up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of founder
Noun
The founders who told the Senate their products might end humanity are shipping those products faster than any software company in history. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 Oguzhan Karlidag is the founder of Lotus Linen, a brand that makes luxury towels designed to elevate everyday rituals. — Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
Previous attempts to reach an agreement have foundered amid mutual suspicion and each side's insistence that the other must move first. — Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA Today, 31 July 2026 The Queen Who Never Was is foundering; its captain is missing or maybe dead. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for founder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for founder
  1. creator
  2. collapse
  3. go
  4. author
  5. flop
  6. go out
  7. father
  8. fail
Noun
  • Disney offered creators a wide variety of future opportunities, including set visits, press junkets and red carpet interviews with talent.
    — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Deepfake memes grant a similar carte blanche to their creators, while introducing even pricklier questions about race and authenticity.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of creator
Verb
  • Flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall in the city of Limoges, in central France, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building.
    — SYLVIE CORBET, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The students who stepped forward when their teacher collapsed playing basketball in Michigan illustrate what becomes possible when CPR skills are taught before they are needed.
    — Meng Yang, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Trailing the Brewers 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Dodgers desperately need to put themselves in the best possible position to win Game 3 and avoid four straight win-or-go-home contests.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • As a result of the fine, Treasury said that Bank of America will work with a third party to report any further transactions to FinCEN that had gone undetected.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of go
Noun
  • This realization has helped lead to the creation of a bench with life-size statues of 19th century author Robert Louis Stevenson, his wife Fanny Stevenson and their Irish setter cocker spaniel ChuChu.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The author argued that the unrest reflected deeper failures by France’s political establishment.
    — Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of author
Verb
  • But no matter where your opinion falls on that particular spectrum, the film seems destined to flop upon its initial release before being reclaimed as a cult classic over the next quarter century.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The notorious Grand Theft Auto 6 leaker seems to be hitting pause after the group’s newest effort to rake in funds appears to have flopped.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of flop
Verb
  • And so, basically, what a lot of these communities do is pick a day, or a couple of days, when everybody will go out together, and the hope is that there will be protection in numbers.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Whether your pre-arrival note goes out with Wi-Fi, parking directions and a rough plan before the guest has to request them.
    — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of go out
Noun
  • The trip marks the first visit by a Spanish monarch to the two cities since Felipe's father, Juan Carlos I, toured them in 2007.
    — JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • For Rukhsar Amrohi, who also calls Kumari Chhoti Ammi, the film is a token of the couple’s love, made by her father out of his love for Kumari.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of father
Verb
  • Since then, multiple efforts to phase out or ban horse carriages have failed.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The exchange of threats comes as Saudi Arabia investigates why its air defenses failed to intercept a barrage of missiles and drones fired by the Houthis.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fail

Browse Nearby Words

founded
founder
foundered
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Founder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/founder. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All