fountain
Americannoun
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fountains
plural
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a spring or source of water; the source or head of a stream.
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the source or origin of anything.
- Synonyms:
- wellspring, genesis, cradle, birthplace
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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.
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a structure for discharging such a jet or a number of jets, often an elaborate or artistic work with basins, sculptures, etc.
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a reservoir for a liquid to be supplied gradually or continuously, as in a fountain pen.
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Heraldry. a roundel barry-wavy, argent and azure.
noun
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a jet or spray of water or some other liquid
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a structure from which such a jet or a number of such jets spurt, often incorporating figures, basins, etc
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a natural spring of water, esp the source of a stream
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a stream, jet, or cascade of sparks, lava, etc
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a principal source or origin
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a reservoir or supply chamber, as for oil in a lamp
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short for drinking fountain soda fountain
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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fountain-likeadjective
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fountainedadjective
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fountainlessadjective
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fountainlikeadjective
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unfountainedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing fountain
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.
See Examples For:
Outside Estella, where the path passed a fountain that dispensed wine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
He’s flanked by fountain fireworks while a buff guitarist with a blond mullet and glittery spandex shorts wails on guitar to the tune of Lenny Kravitz’s cover of “American Woman.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
"Here the buildings are destroyed, not pretty. Here, it seems, there's a fountain, but on the other side there's a ruined building," said Dezhyna, who works for the local admimistration.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
And, notably, they eat Cane’s, whether it’s buying entire orders of just Texas toast or dunking their entire hand into a fountain cup of Cane’s Sauce and licking it off their fingers.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
On Monday morning I got to school early, so I went to the drinking fountain to play Pokemon, but right when I got there, everyone got up and left.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
From there, doors lead outside to a patio surrounded by fountains, allowing the indoor living areas to flow directly into the grounds.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
The volcano had started erupting late on Friday night, generating continuous seismic activity, lava fountains, and booming sounds across surrounding regions.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
A captivating, welcoming and family-friendly space, with some jaw-dropping views, a cafe and a gorgeous rooftop fine-dining restaurant, not to mention an 11-acre garden, dotted with statuary and fountains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Designed to blend into the historic Baroque park, they are notable for their curved ceramic facades, daylight from skylights, accessibility features, drinking fountains -- and free use.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
She wanted to drink from the school water fountains in the yard.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
