foundling

Definition of foundlingnext

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 foundling The connection between the films goes far beyond the presence of a foundling. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 When Heathcliff, a foundling, discovers that Cathy Earnshaw, the daughter of the impoverished Yorkshire lord who’s taken him in, has played a prank on him by putting eggs in his beds to be crushed, the boy plunges his fingers into the slippery puddle of yolk and albumen left behind. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026 Cathy might be as uninhibited as Heathcliff when roaming the outdoors, but a woman of her status can’t be allowed to marry a foundling, especially one who now works for her family as a servant. David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026 The idea for the Innocenti began in medieval times and required more than a century of plans, donations, and negotiations before the arrival of its first trovatello, foundling. Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025 There were grim meetings with every male foundling who landed on the streets or showed up at city hospitals. Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 3 May 2025 But Mufasa's welcome is no kinder than the reception Dickens doled out to the foundlings scattered throughout his novels. Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024 Clementine seems a foundling in need of any stable influence, while in her spookily near-complete isolation (there’s no hint of contact with friends or family), Kelly-Anne could use a little basic humanizing. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Sep. 2024 The tiny foundling — so small the women could scoop it up by hand — means that there is at least one breeding pair in the area. Freda Kreier, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foundling
Noun
  • Table service lunch ranges from lighter fare like swordfish ceviche to heartier options such as Ecuadorian Llapingacho potato croquettes, Galápagos carne colorada (marinated beef), or a whole roasted suckling pig.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
  • My parents were known for their epic new year party, my mom making hundreds of dumplings by hand, often supplementing that with a whole suckling pig and endless bottles of baijiu, a powerful sorghum liquor.
    Natasha Pickowicz, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The infant’s family was all vaccinated.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • Danny and Nia are traveling with their baby and a nanny, and Kristen and Luke, a Lincoln Logs set that can only make a shooting range, are also traveling with an infant, her sister, and brother-in-law, and so much emotional baggage that Jet Blue charged them $35 million in luggage fees.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • The chandelier above was lit, as was the candelabra, with its base of fruit and sculpted cherubs.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
  • In Wood’s ritzy dressing room worthy of Elizabeth Taylor, a cherub hangs overhead, while a leap of ceramic leopards prowls the lounge.
    Zoey Goto, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
Noun
  • Feel the age-old urge to hold the newborn out to the red morning sun and give thanks.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 June 2026
  • Some local initiatives are also beginning to develop, including a San Francisco program backed by private donations that aims to provide additional contributions for eligible newborns.
    Rick Unser, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • All proceeds to the sell-out show, which was simulcast on ESPN, benefited the Garden of Dreams Foundation, the MSG non-profit supporting children in need.
    Marlow Stern, Variety, 20 June 2026
  • Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was away from the team Friday for the birth of his second child with his wife, Mamiko.
    Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
Noun
  • There have been publications about nicotine transmission and neonates after blood transfusion.
    Torie Bosch, STAT, 1 June 2026
  • For studies measuring neonates’ looking time at faces, this included 667 infants, half of them boys and half of them girls.
    Lise Eliot, The Conversation, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Take a bunch of kids who’ve never been out of East Tennessee.
    Holly Gleason, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
  • Your support will help ease the financial burden and give Pam and her kids a sense of hope and security.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • And now the dream is finally here, and everyone is ready to take it, including me and all the other boys.
    Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 17 June 2026
  • There was a picture of a little redheaded boy wearing a blue T-shirt; further down, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack.
    Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foundling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foundling. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on foundling

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster