founder

noun

/ˈfaʊndə(r)/

/ˈfaʊndər/

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a person who starts an organization, institution, etc. or causes something to be built
- the founder and president of the company
- a wife and husband who are joint founders of the company
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- original
- company
founder + noun
- member
See full entry

founder

verb

/ˈfaʊndə(r)/

/ˈfaʊndər/

(formal)

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they founder	/ˈfaʊndə(r)/ /ˈfaʊndər/
he / she / it founders	/ˈfaʊndəz/ /ˈfaʊndərz/
past simple foundered	/ˈfaʊndəd/ /ˈfaʊndərd/
past participle foundered	/ˈfaʊndəd/ /ˈfaʊndərd/
-ing form foundering	/ˈfaʊndərɪŋ/ /ˈfaʊndərɪŋ/

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[intransitive] (of a plan, attempt, etc.) to fail, especially because of a particular problem or difficulty
- The project foundered after problems with funding.
- The venture might easily founder for want of capital to finance expansion.
- founder on something The peace talks foundered on a basic lack of trust.
Topics Difficulty and failurec2
[intransitive] founder (on something) (of a ship) to fill with water and sink
- Our boat foundered on a reef.
Topics Transport by waterc2

Word Originverb Middle English (in the sense ‘knock to the ground’): from Old French fondrer, esfondrer ‘submerge, collapse’, based on Latin fundus ‘bottom, base’.