founder
1 Americannoun
verb (used without object)
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(of a ship, boat, etc.) to fill with water and sink.
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to fall or sink down, as buildings, ground, etc..
Built on a former lake bed, the building has foundered nearly ten feet.
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to become wrecked; fail utterly.
The project foundered because public support was lacking.
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to stumble, break down, or go lame, as a horse.
His mount foundered on the rocky path.
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to become ill from overeating.
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Veterinary Pathology. (of a horse) to suffer from laminitis.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to fill with water and sink.
Rough seas had foundered the ship in mid-ocean.
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Veterinary Pathology. to cause (a horse) to break down, go lame, or suffer from laminitis.
noun
noun
verb
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(of a ship) to sink
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to break down or fail
the project foundered
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to sink into or become stuck in soft ground
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to fall in or give way; collapse
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(of a horse) to stumble or go lame
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archaic (of animals, esp livestock) to become ill from overeating
noun
noun
noun
Usage
Founder is sometimes wrongly used where flounder is meant: this unexpected turn of events left him floundering (not foundering )
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have founderedperfect
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has founderedperfect 3rd person singular
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are founderingprogressive
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am founderingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been founderingperfect progressive
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founderingparticiple
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is founderingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been founderingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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founderssingular 3rd person
Past
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had founderedperfect
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had been founderingperfect progressive
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was founderingprogressive singular
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were founderingprogressive plural
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founderedsimple
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founderedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of founder1
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English found(o)ur, foundere, fundre “original builder of a city, church, castle, or city; founder of a country,” from Anglo-French fundur, from Old French fondeor, from Latin fundātōr-, stem of fundātor; see origin at found 1; see also -er 1 ( def. )
Origin of founder2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English foundren, funder, fonder, from Old French fondrer “to plunge to the bottom, submerge,” from Vulgar Latin fundorāre (unattested), derivative of fundor-, an s -stem noun interpreted as stem of Latin fundus, actually an o -stem noun (stem fund- ) “bottom”
Origin of founder3
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English foundour, founder, from Old French fondeur, from fondre “to melt, cast”; see origin at found 3, -er 1
Explanation
The person who creates an organization or a company is known as the founder. Founder is also a verb meaning "fail miserably," which is something a company's founder hopes the company will never do. As a noun, founder means "the beginner or originator of something." You might talk about the founder of a nation, the founder of club, or the founder of a website. As a verb, founder can mean “stumble,” like when you trip and fall, but more generally it means "collapse or fall apart." A sports team might founder by slumping on a ten-game losing streak; a ship that sinks in a bad storm can be said to have foundered at sea.
Vocabulary lists containing founder
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That allowed it to purchase Thom Browne and Tom Ford, brands that, just like Zegna, carry the name of their founder.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
“The culture is antiestablishment and he’s acting like he’s part of the establishment,” said Rachel Janfaza, founder of The Up and Up, a nonpartisan research firm focused on Gen Z.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Besjana Guri, the founder of environmental NGO Lumi, said demonstrators were also calling for the suspension of an amendment that allowed "massive construction" inside nature reserves such as Zvernec.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Kim Alexander, founder and president of the California Voter Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group, refers to it as the “pig in the python” problem.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
As far as she knew, the wise old founder had never had to flee actors dressed as pirates by crawling through a dank, dark tunnel into the British Museum after hours.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
