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

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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

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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

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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
Davis, 55, was the founder of a company caller Airbrush Junkies and was well-known as a portrait painter, The Nassau Guardian reported. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026 There are people like Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy snagging headlines for multi-million dollar payouts. — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
The Queen Who Never Was is foundering; its captain is missing or maybe dead. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 June 2026 On screen, some of our best artists have foundered in translation. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 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
  • The Schenley Plaza market will continue on the first Sunday of each month through October, giving shoppers several more chances this season to explore Pittsburgh's growing community of small businesses and independent creators.
    — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Know More The new effort by Crooked Ideas is one of many pushes by progressives to elevate the creator ecosystem in the wake of the 2024 presidential election.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of creator
Verb
  • That pair, combined with the wider structure and personnel around them, ensure Leeds do not collapse when home sides like Brighton, predictably, lay it on thick.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Researchers believe volcanic activity triggered an underwater landslide and caused a large chunk of Anak Krakatau’s southwest slope to collapse and displace a large volume of water.
    — Tatan Syuflana, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Slavia Prague The Czech champions briefly threatened an upset against Barcelona in the league phase last season, going ahead in sub-zero temperatures in Prague before the Catalan side turned up the heat to win 4-2.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Okamoto went 4 for 5 with a double and broke a 3-all tie in the seventh with an RBI single.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of go
Noun
  • The authors would like to thank HKU Musketeers Foundation Institute of Data Science for providing research funding informing this article.
    — Brian Wong, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Rose, an Atlanta chef, cookbook author and television personality, isn’t relying on the barbecue sauce to do all the work.
    — Monti Carlo, AJC.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of author
Verb
  • In this year’s mayoral primary, Raman raised less money than Bass and Pratt and flopped during their one debate against each other.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Of course, by their very definition, cult films almost always flop upon release then slowly build a devoted following whose passion seems to grow in inverse proportion to any original rejection by mainstream audiences.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of flop
Verb
  • This centered on the order the Ferrari cars went out on track each time.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The first statewide mail ballots already went out, in North Carolina, on Friday.
    — Patrick Whittle, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of go out
Noun
  • The Sosa siblings’ father, along with his two other sons and an uncle, set off to the Bahamas immediately on Monday afternoon to start searching themselves via boat.
    — Alex Harris Updated September 8, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026
  • His interview subjects range from people who worked with Musk at various companies and in the government to people who knew him intimately, including his father, Errol.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of father
Verb
  • Like at Brentford’s Gtech Stadium, Spurs failed to win with the first contact from a deep corner, allowing the ball to be headed across their penalty area to an unmarked Yoane Wissa, who acrobatically converted past Antonin Kinsky.
    — Elias Burke, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • For example, an enterprise may deploy an AI customer-service agent that achieves high technical accuracy, yet still fail because customers must repeat information, escalation paths are unclear and employees frequently override recommendations.
    — Ashwin Gaidhani, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of fail

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Cite this Entry

“Founder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/founder. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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