fountain

American  

[foun-tn] / ˈfaʊn tn /

noun

• fountains
  plural

1. a spring or source of water; the source or head of a stream.

2. the source or origin of anything.

   Synonyms:

   wellspring, genesis, cradle, birthplace

3. a jet or stream of water (or other liquid) made by mechanical means to spout or rise from an opening or structure, as to afford water for use, to cool the air, or to serve for ornament.

4. a structure for discharging such a jet or a number of jets, often an elaborate or artistic work with basins, sculptures, etc.

5. drinking fountain.

6. soda fountain.

7. a reservoir for a liquid to be supplied gradually or continuously, as in a fountain pen.

8. Heraldry. a roundel barry-wavy, argent and azure.

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fountain British  

/ ˈfaʊntɪn /

noun

1. a jet or spray of water or some other liquid

2. a structure from which such a jet or a number of such jets spurt, often incorporating figures, basins, etc

3. a natural spring of water, esp the source of a stream

4. a stream, jet, or cascade of sparks, lava, etc

5. a principal source or origin

6. a reservoir or supply chamber, as for oil in a lamp

7. short for drinking fountain soda fountain

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fountain-like
  adjective
• fountained
  adjective
• fountainless
  adjective
• fountainlike
  adjective
• unfountained
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fountains
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fountain

1375–1425; late Middle English fontayne < Old French fontaine < Late Latin fontāna, noun use of feminine of Latin fontānus of a spring, equivalent to font- (stem of fons ) spring + -ānus -an

Explanation

A fountain is a decorative structure that shoots streams of water into the air. You might see a big fountain in front of a museum, or install a small one in your back yard. You can use the noun fountain any time you talk about a shooting flow of water, whether it's a deliberate, artificial piece of architecture or an accidental fountain caused by the faucet in your kitchen sink breaking suddenly, sending a fountain of water into the air. The earliest, fifteenth century meaning of fountain was "spring of water that collects in a pool," from the Latin root word fons, "spring of water."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fountain fountains

Patel’s vague statement, meanwhile, gave conspiracists just enough oxygen to turn a medically explainable death into a fountain of paranoia.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Or they could’ve put the quarters in the soda fountain machine and got a Coca-Cola and been so excited.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Polymarket’s strategy leverages three groups of social-media producers to get viral attention as a fountain of fast, easy cash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

The water arrives at the valley floor under pressure and shoots out of a vertical nozzle like a "massive fountain", says Dr Suryanarayanan Balasubramanian, the founder of Acres of Ice.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

I thought back to the Cocoon, wishing for the first time that it hadn’t dissolved in the fountain.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

This fast-moving magma could help generate dramatic lava fountains.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

Together, those factors can strongly influence whether an eruption produces dramatic lava fountains or a slower release of lava.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

They spent more than $3 million transforming the fixer-upper into a home with custom details, moody interiors and four fountains that embody the charm of historic Charleston.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Nina and Cody, ecstatic about visiting their neighborhood splash pad, run through fountains and hop in kiddie pools, but protagonist JJ is a bit more skeptical.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

He constructed elaborate fountains, with grottos containing mechanical singing birds.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• geyser
• reservoir
• stream