verb

found

FOWND

verb

Past tense and past participle of "find."

"She found her keys under the couch."

To establish or start something, such as an organization or institution.

"The two friends founded the company in a garage."

"The university was founded over two hundred years ago."

To base something on a particular idea, principle, or fact.

"His argument is founded on years of research."

How to Use Found

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the past tense of "find," or the act of starting something, or basing something on solid ground.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "founder" (to sink or fail) — "the ship foundered" is very different from "the ship was found."

Easily confused with

founder →

Word Forms

founded past tense, founded past tense, found plural, founded plural, founds plural, founds singular, found singular, founded singular, foundest singular, foundeth singular, foundedst singular, founds singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

She _____ her keys under the couch.

Etymology

The "establish" sense comes from Latin fundare, "to lay a foundation"; the past-tense sense is simply the irregular past form of "find."

Antonyms

ruin dissolve abolish

Related Words

abolish kill build ruin destroy waive devastate assemble

Rhymes for found

pound wound sound bound round hound mound abound ground around rebound impound

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ruin dissolve abolish kill build destroy waive devastate assemble