foundation

American  

[faun-day-shuhn] / faʊnˈdeɪ ʃən /

noun

• foundations
  plural

1. the basis or groundwork of anything.

   the moral foundation of both society and religion.

2. the natural or prepared ground or base on which some structure rests.

   Synonyms:

   footing

   Antonyms:

   superstructure

3. the lowest division of a building, wall, or the like, usually of masonry and partly or wholly below the surface of the ground.

   Synonyms:

   footing

   Antonyms:

   superstructure

4. the act of founding, setting up, establishing, etc..

   a policy in effect since the foundation.

   Synonyms:

   settlement, establishment

5. the state of being founded.

   Synonyms:

   settlement, establishment

6. an institution financed by a donation or legacy to aid research, education, the arts, etc..

   the Ford Foundation.

7. an endowment for such an institution.

8. a cosmetic, as a cream or liquid, used as a base for facial makeup.

9. foundation garment.

10. Solitaire. a card of given denomination on which other cards are to be added according to denomination or suit.

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foundation British  

/ faʊnˈdeɪʃən /

noun

1. that on which something is founded; basis

2. (often plural) a construction below the ground that distributes the load of a building, wall, etc

3. the base on which something stands

4. the act of founding or establishing or the state of being founded or established

5. 1. an endowment or legacy for the perpetual support of an institution such as a school or hospital

   2. entitled to benefit from the funds of a foundation

6. an institution supported by an endowment, often one that provides funds for charities, research, etc

7. the charter incorporating or establishing a society or institution and the statutes or rules governing its affairs

8. a cosmetic in cream or cake form used as a base for make-up

9. See foundation garment

10. cards a card on which a sequence may be built

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Synonym Usage

See base ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prefoundation
  noun
• foundational
  adjective
• foundationary
  adjective
• foundationally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• foundations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of foundation

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English foundacioun, from Latin fundātiōn- (stem of fundātiō ), equivalent to fundāt(us) (past participle of fundāre; see found ¹) + -iōn- -ion

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Explanation

A foundation is the base for something. You often hear about the structural foundations of buildings, but a good idea can also be the foundation of a successful business. In the simplest sense, foundations support something else. Friendship is the foundation of a good marriage, and many svelte figures rely on girdles (known to underwear specialists as a foundation garment). But foundations are also charitable organizations. And in cosmetics, foundation is gooey make-up that's supposed to match your skin tone.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foundation foundations

After Bardot left the world of cinema in 1973 she devoted her life to animal welfare and her foundation says it now cares for 13,000 animals.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Having this foundation makes it easier to understand the meaning of words, sentences and longer passages.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

Nvidia neither confirmed nor denied the report to AFP, but said in a statement that "datacenters and clouds built on American chips are the foundation that American model and application makers need to compete worldwide."

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

I just wanted people to understand my foundation of who I am and know that whatever I give them after that, this is who it’s coming from.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Neatly he broke the sticks of kindling over his knee and arranged them on the foundation of paper.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

“We are laying the foundations for a future that we believe will be fully electric, autonomous and AI-defined.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

But while the Amsterdam-listed group has strong foundations, it isn’t yet translating them into consistent growth or “winning with consumers and customers as often as we should,” Oliveira said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

For years, Netanyahu maintained that the foundations of Israel's security rested on military strength but he also gained a reputation for caution.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

In linguistics, the findings offer a different way to understand the foundations of meaning.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

And that’s how I became one of the fortunate handful of people with the honor of creating the foundations for America’s path into space.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

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Related Words

• association
• charity
• company
• corporation
• endowment
• establishment
• institute
• organization
• society

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