as in creators
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
1
as in flops
to be unsuccessful
the theater company foundered after its corporate funding dried up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in collapses
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 founders
Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Augusta National's co-founders, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, agreed.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
One of the company’s founders is Irish ex-pat and longtime Quincy resident Donal O’Gallachoir.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Founded in 2024 by hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays, TBPN quickly rose to prominence within Silicon Valley, cultivating a loyal audience of investors, founders and tech workers.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
Some of those founders remain active in American politics, including Cameron Kasky, who briefly ran for Congress in New York this past fall, and David Hogg, who worked as a vice chair for the Democratic National Committee as recently as 2025.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Ingrid Jansen and Lesley Spellman are decluttering and organizing pros and co-founders of The Declutter Hub.
—Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 2 Apr. 2026
Tony-award-winning actor John Kani said he was stunned when the theatre's founders Barney Simon and Mannie Manim first told him their vision.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026
The Macario signing comes 16 months after Lauren Leichtman and Arthur Levine, founders of a private equity firm in Los Angeles, completed a $120-million purchase of the Wave.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Noun
The founders, who included Altman, Sutskever, Brockman, and Elon Musk, asserted that artificial intelligence could be the most powerful, and potentially dangerous, invention in human history, and that perhaps, given the existential risk, an unusual corporate structure would be required.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Augusta National's co-founders, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, agreed.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
One of the company’s founders is Irish ex-pat and longtime Quincy resident Donal O’Gallachoir.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Founded in 2024 by hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays, TBPN quickly rose to prominence within Silicon Valley, cultivating a loyal audience of investors, founders and tech workers.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
Some of those founders remain active in American politics, including Cameron Kasky, who briefly ran for Congress in New York this past fall, and David Hogg, who worked as a vice chair for the Democratic National Committee as recently as 2025.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Ingrid Jansen and Lesley Spellman are decluttering and organizing pros and co-founders of The Declutter Hub.
—Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 2 Apr. 2026
Tony-award-winning actor John Kani said he was stunned when the theatre's founders Barney Simon and Mannie Manim first told him their vision.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026
The Macario signing comes 16 months after Lauren Leichtman and Arthur Levine, founders of a private equity firm in Los Angeles, completed a $120-million purchase of the Wave.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for founders
Noun
-
State officials have a chance to signal that California is serious about keeping job creators here, not driving them out.—
Tom Manzo,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
-
However, advanced-level creators who want to edit Raw images in a desktop app will want to use a correction profile to remove the barrel distortion the zoom shows at wide angles.—
Jim Fisher,
PC Magazine,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fortunately for shareholders, the stock grants come with a feature similar to equity options that somewhat reduces Musk’s payday, especially in a case like the one above where the plan flops.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
29 Nov. 2025
-
Amina blows her mom a kiss and then flops down in her crib, pretending to be asleep.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As matter collapses inside a black hole and densities rise toward the Planck scale, the torsion of spacetime begins to generate a repulsive effect.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
-
When that function collapses and every joke is screened for loyalty, society loses one of its best safeguards against tribal conformity.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the meantime, the authors estimate that fast-food prices are up 8% to 12% since September 2023.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Skyhorse authors are frequent guests on the MAHA Action Media Hub, a livestreamed show that Lyons hosts every Wednesday afternoon.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Trump has warned repeatedly that the US could strike power plants, bridges and other infrastructure in Iran if Tehran fails to make a deal or reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil thoroughfare.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
-
So, the immunity argument fails, Judge – him soliciting funds, which he’s not allowed to do.—
Will Swaim,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And how a couple goes from competition to partnership.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Those cabins are where most of the attention goes.—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw,
Robb Report,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At this, the two strangers returned to a parallel silence for the rest of the flight, both of them thinking about their fathers while trying to think of something else.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
So, to help fathers and other male caregivers feel more comfortable sharing their experiences, some Parent Cafes this year will be facilitated by male hosts, a recent news release from the health department said.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The rickshaws have become increasingly popular in Sierra Leone, filling the gaps in a strained public transport system as the West African country struggles to recover from its 1991-2002 civil war.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Car launches are generally ghastly events, and this was way down there with the most hideous… and perhaps gave a clue as to why VW struggles to match its huge European sales success in America.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Founders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/founders. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
