found

1 of 5

past tense and past participle of find

found

2 of 5

adjective

1
: having all usual, standard, or reasonably expected equipment
the boat comes fully found, ready to goHoliday
2
: presented as or incorporated into an artistic work essentially as found
sculpture of fabric, wood, and other found materialsHilton Kramer

found

3 of 5

noun

: free food and lodging in addition to wages
they're paid $175 a month and foundNew Yorker

found

4 of 5

verb (1)

founded; founding; founds

transitive verb

1
: to take the first steps in building
2
: to set or ground on something solid : base
3
: to establish (something) often with provision for future maintenance
found an institution

found

5 of 5

verb

founded; founding; founds

transitive verb

: to melt (a material, such as metal) and pour into a mold

Examples of found in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The third season of The Witcher has drawn to a close, with the finale ending on yet another cliffhanger and the found family of Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri once again separated by circumstance and plot machinations. Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 30 July 2023 In the form of poetry commonly known as erasure, a poet prunes a found body of language—often an official document or a canonical work of literature—whose ablations paradoxically lead to revelation, uncovering subtext, lyricism, lost histories, and politics barely hidden beneath the surface. Nicole Sealey, The New Yorker, 24 July 2023 Curtis holds his found family of friends very, very dear to him. Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 June 2023 Legge and his cinematographer, Oona Menges, use period cameras and lenses to shoot the film and otherwise employ found footage. Vulture, 23 May 2023 And Jonathan Honey, 33, was found on April 1, a day after he was last seen at a food truck on Rainey Street. TEXANS SOUNDING SAFETY ALARMS AFTER LATEST BODY FOUND IN LAKE Autopsy reports were not publicly available, but police said the victims showed no signs of trauma or foul play. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 17 Apr. 2023 Townsend’s whimsical clay sculptures often incorporate found elements from the roadside. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2023 Holley’s sculptures are constructed from found materials in the tradition of African American sculpture. Brent Lang, Variety, 22 Mar. 2023 The movie is ultimately about pitting two families against each other: the Baileys vs. the Carpenters and their found family, the Meeks-Martin twins. Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2023
Verb
The iconic filmmaker, who created the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film franchises, met his match in businesswoman Hobson, who founded Ariel Investments, one of the country's largest investment firms. Ellie Beeck, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2023 In September 2021, Kat founded Little Words Limited, a company dedicated to providing digital training for women writers. Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Sep. 2023 The real power behind the throne at Mr. Murdoch’s empire will continue to be the man who founded it, said Rich Greenfield, an analyst at LightShed Partners. Benjamin Mullin, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023 We were founded in 2008 to fill a growing hole in journalism: Newsrooms were (and still are) shrinking, and legacy funding models are failing. Tony Schick, ProPublica, 22 Sep. 2023 Alfa Romeo, founded in 1910 and one of the world’s oldest automotive marques, has a rich history in motorsport and elegant road-going sports cars, the latter including the stunning 1960s-era Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 22 Sep. 2023 The 56-year-old fashion designer, who’s also a senior vice president of menswear at Calvin Klein, founded his eponymous label in 2015, with a hunger for beauty in all forms and a refusal to water down his politics to appeal to the industry. Time, 21 Sep. 2023 Ruinart, founded in 1729, is known for its blanc de blancs, a rosé and its tête de cuvée, called Dom Ruinart. Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023 An iPod cost $400 in 2001. Spotify, founded in 2006. Les Borsai, Spin, 14 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'found.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of find entry 1

Noun

from past participle of find entry 1

Verb (1)

Middle English founden, borrowed from Anglo-French fonder, funder, going back to Latin fundāre, derivative of fundus "bottom, base, foundation" — more at bottom entry 1

Verb

borrowed from Middle French fondre "to melt, cast," going back to Old French, going back to Latin fundere "to pour, shed, cast, send forth, disperse," going back to Indo-European hu-n-d-, present tense derivative of heu̯d- "pour" (also Germanic, in Old English gēotan "to pour, shed," Old High German giozan, Old Norse gjóta "to drop, throw, give birth [of animals]," Gothic giutan "to pour"), extended form of Indo-European heu̯- "pour," whence Greek chéō, cheîn "to pour, shed," Tocharian B kewu "I will pour," Sanskrit juhoti "(s/he) pours, sacrifices"

First Known Use

Adjective

1758, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1830, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1562, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of found was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near found

Cite this Entry

“Found.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/found. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

found

1 of 3

past and past participle of find

found

2 of 3 verb
: establish sense 3a
found a colony
founded the company in 1847

found

3 of 3 verb
: to melt (metal) and pour into a mold
Etymology

Verb

Middle English founden "found, establish," from early French funder (same meaning), from Latin fundare (same meaning), from fundus "bottom, base" — related to fund, fundamental

Verb

from early French fondre "to pour, melt," from Latin fundere (same meaning) — related to font entry 2, founder entry 2

Legal Definition

found

1 of 2

past and past participle of find

found

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to establish (as an institution) often with provision for future maintenance

More from Merriam-Webster on found

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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