foundation
noun
Simple meaning
The result of the work to begin something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fowndayshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
faʊnˈdeɪʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.
That upon which anything is founded; that on which anything stands, and by which it is supported; the lowest and supporting layer of a superstructure; underbuilding.
A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment.
That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity.
figurative
The result of the work to begin something; that which stabilizes and allows an enterprise or system to develop.
A basis for social bodies or intellectual disciplines.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.
Used this way, foundation is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- understructure , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use foundation
- “He lacks the foundation necessary for advanced study.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Inflammation of the laminated tissue that attaches the hoof to the foot of a horse.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A stone laid at a ceremony to mark the founding of a new building.
A woman's undergarment worn to give shape to the contours of the body.
An independent agency of the federal government responsible for the promotion of progress in science and engineering by supporting programs in research and education.
A foundation that provides funds for science or art or education or religion or relief from disease etc.
A charity that does not receive a major part of its support from the public.
A foundation (usually on soft ground) consisting of an extended layer of reinforced concrete.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: founding or fixing or establishing
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.