What does foundation mean?

Definitions for foundation
faʊnˈdeɪ ʃənfoun·da·tion

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word foundation.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. foundationnoun

    the basis on which something is grounded

    "there is little foundation for his objections"

  2. foundationnoun

    an institution supported by an endowment

  3. foundation, base, fundament, foot, groundwork, substructure, understructurenoun

    lowest support of a structure

    "it was built on a base of solid rock"; "he stood at the foot of the tower"

  4. foundation, groundingnoun

    education or instruction in the fundamentals of a field of knowledge

    "he lacks the foundation necessary for advanced study"; "a good grounding in mathematics"

  5. basis, base, foundation, fundament, groundwork, cornerstonenoun

    the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained

    "the whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture"

  6. foundation garment, foundationnoun

    a woman's undergarment worn to give shape to the contours of the body

  7. initiation, founding, foundation, institution, origination, creation, innovation, introduction, instaurationnoun

    the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new

    "she looked forward to her initiation as an adult"; "the foundation of a new scientific society"

Wiktionary

  1. foundationnoun

    The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.

    The foundation of his institute has been wrought with difficulty.

  2. foundationnoun

    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; groundwork; basis; underbuilding.

  3. foundationnoun

    The lowest and supporting part or member of a wall, including the base course and footing courses; in a frame house, the whole substructure of masonry.

    The foundations of this construction have been laid out.

  4. foundationnoun

    A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment.

  5. foundationnoun

    That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity.

    The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is the parent organization of the Wiktionary collaborative project.

  6. foundationnoun

    Cosmetic cream roughly skin-colored, designed to make the face appear uniform in color and texture.

  7. Etymology: From fundatio.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Foundationnoun

    Etymology: fondation, French.

    The stateliness of houses, the goodliness of trees, when we behold them, delighteth the eye; but that foundation which beareth up the one, that root which ministreth unto the other nourishment and life, is in the bosom of the earth concealed. Richard Hooker, b. i. s. 1.

    That is the way to make the city flat,
    To bring the roof to the foundation,
    To bury all. William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

    O Jove, I think,
    Foundations fly the wretched; such, I mean,
    Where they should be reliev’d. William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

    I draw a line along the shore;
    I lay the deep foundations of a wall,
    And Enos, nam’d from me, the city call. John Dryden, Æn.

    Ne’er to these chambers where the mighty rest,
    Since their foundation, came a nobler guest. Thomas Tickell.

    If we give way to our passions, we do but gratify ourselves for the present, in order to our future disquiet; but if we resist and conquer them, we lay the foundation of perpetual peace in our minds. John Tillotson, Sermon 6.

    That she should be subject to her husband, the laws of mankind and customs of nations have ordered it so; and there is a foundation in nature for it. John Locke.

    Throughout the world, even from the first foundation thereof, all men have either been taken as lords or lawful kings in their own houses. Richard Hooker, b. i. s. 10.

    He had an opportunity of going to school on a foundation. Jonathan Swift.

ChatGPT

  1. foundation

    A foundation is a fundamental base or underlying structure on which something is built or established. It can refer to the lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below ground level, or an institution established to fund, support, or maintain specific causes, activities, or institutions. It can also represent a basis or groundwork of anything, like ideas, arguments, or beliefs.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Foundationnoun

    the act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect

  2. Foundationnoun

    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; groundwork; basis

  3. Foundationnoun

    the lowest and supporting part or member of a wall, including the base course (see Base course (a), under Base, n.) and footing courses; in a frame house, the whole substructure of masonry

  4. Foundationnoun

    a donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment

  5. Foundationnoun

    that which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity

  6. Etymology: [F. fondation, L. fundatio. See Found to establish.]

Wikidata

  1. Foundation

    A foundation is a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes. This type of non-profit organization differs from a private foundation which is typically endowed by an individual or family.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. foundation

    In military architecture, is that part of a building which is underground, or the mass of stone, brick, etc., which supports a building, or upon which the walls of a superstructure are raised; or it is the coffer or bed dug below the level of the ground to raise a building upon.

Editors Contribution

  1. foundation

    A type of structure as a basis to create.

    The foundations of a house are very important.


    Submitted by MaryC on December 27, 2019  


  2. foundationnoun

    Natural field officer uniting nations that's patterned after a contraction absence of a quality or state; not the reverse of approval or disapproval or with another digital audiotape verbal action from an atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electron. 1.) The lowest load - bearing part of a building, typically below ground level. A body or ground on which other parts rest or are overlaid. 2.) An underlying basis or principle for something. 3.) The action of establishing an institution or organization on a permanent basis especially with an endowment.

    Specific learning skills is as a foundation for other subjects.

    Etymology: L.A.D (Life After Death)


    Submitted by Tony_Elyon on February 23, 2024  

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'foundation' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2674

  2. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'foundation' in Nouns Frequency: #909

How to pronounce foundation?

How to say foundation in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of foundation in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of foundation in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of foundation in a Sentence

  1. Graduate Hotels:

    The I Promise Village by Graduate Hotels will be a monumental next step for us and LeBron and his Foundation's commitment to the future of the students and their families, promise Village by Graduate Hotels's humbling to see the change they are affecting on a daily basis and we're honored to be a part of the journey.

  2. Hillary Clinton:

    I have no plans to say or do anything about the Clinton foundation other than to say I am proud of it and I think for the good of the world, its work should continue.

  3. AiR:

    Happiness is something different, we learn. Not just money that we earn and burn. Happiness is built on a foundation of peace. Then we are blissful like waves in the seas.

  4. Peter Hero:

    ( Facebook CEO Mark) Zuckerberg gave a billion to The Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and it's sitting there, it's actually sitting on Wall Street. It's not going out. ( Zuckerberg) hasn't decided what to do with it.

  5. Logan Levkoff:

    Young People are quick to talk about big scary things like porn, which is important, but are constantly missing the underpinnings and foundation of what makes someone a human being and the diverse ways in which we can express our sexuality.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

foundation#1#1250#10000

Translations for foundation

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • أَوْقاف, رَفْع, إِيجاد, إِنْشاء, أساس, تَأْسِيس, إِشَادَة, حَبيس, حُبُس, حَبيسَةArabic
  • нигеҙ, хәйриәBashkir
  • фондация, основа, основаване, фундаментBulgarian
  • fundació, fonamentsCatalan, Valencian
  • nadace, založení, základyCzech
  • sylfaenWelsh
  • grundlag, grundlæggelse, fundamentDanish
  • Stiftung, Fundament, Foundation, Gründung, GrundlageGerman
  • φον ντε τεν, θεμέλιο, σύσταση, ίδρυμα, ίδρυσηGreek
  • fondo, fundamento, fondaĵoEsperanto
  • fundación, cimiento, baseSpanish
  • فونداسیونPersian
  • säätiö, perustus, peruspääoma, perusta, perustaminenFinnish
  • fondement, fond de teint, fondationFrench
  • bunúsIrish
  • bun-stèidhScottish Gaelic
  • כינון, יסוד, ייסוד, קרן, בָּסִיס, תשתיתHebrew
  • आधारHindi
  • alapozó, AlapítványHungarian
  • հիմնադրամ, հիմք, հիմնում, հիմնադրումArmenian
  • dasarIndonesian
  • stofnun, grunnur, meikIcelandic
  • fondazione, fondamenta, fondareItalian
  • קרןHebrew
  • 設立, ファンデーション, 基礎, 財団Japanese
  • 기초Korean
  • ده‌زگا, بناغه, ده‌سگاKurdish
  • fundamentaLatin
  • tūāpapaMāori
  • fundament, fundering, stichtingDutch
  • stifting, stiftelseNorwegian Nynorsk
  • stiftelse, Fundament, grunnmurNorwegian
  • bindiiʼáNavajo, Navaho
  • fondacionOccitan
  • fundacja, fundament, założenie, podkład, ufundowaniePolish
  • fundação, base, dote, fundamentoPortuguese
  • manquQuechua
  • fundație, temelie, fundamentare, fundament, înființare, fondare, fond de ten, fond, bază, întemeiereRomanian
  • цоколь, основа, фонд, тональный крем, базис, фундамент, основание, учреждениеRussian
  • بنياد, پِيڙهڪا, پِيڙههSindhi
  • подлога, fundament, zasnivanje, osnivanje, temelj, podloga, fundiranje, zadužbina, fondacija, utemeljenjeSerbo-Croatian
  • základySlovak
  • fond, grundplåt, arv, kapital, foundation, grund, donation, förmögenhet, bas, fundament, grundläggning, stiftelse, testamenteSwedish
  • msingiSwahili
  • அடித்தளம்Tamil
  • పునాదిTelugu
  • vakıf, yardım kurumu, fondöten, kāide, kuruluş, temelTurkish
  • بنیادUrdu
  • nền tảngVietnamese
  • 基础Chinese

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"foundation." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/foundation>.

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    an onerous or difficult concern
    A breastwork
    B encumbrance
    C ditch
    D serendipity

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