foundling
noun
found·ling
ˈfau̇n(d)-liŋ 
: an infant found after its unknown parents have abandoned it
Examples of foundling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But Mufasa's welcome is no kinder than the reception Dickens doled out to the foundlings scattered throughout his novels.
—
Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Clementine seems a foundling in need of any stable influence, while in her spookily near-complete isolation (there’s no hint of contact with friends or family), Kelly-Anne could use a little basic humanizing.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Sep. 2024
Clark, a foundling, born Kal-El, famous as Superman, has lost his memory more than once and regularly comes face to face with, and sometimes fist to fist with, perverse reflections or imitations of himself.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2021
At the start of the poem, the narrator describes the career of Scyld Scefing, a foundling who establishes a kingdom in Denmark and is given a splendid burial at sea.
—Irina Dumitrescu, The New York Review of Books, 17 Nov. 2020
Joseph Svec, the foundling in question, never seems to have been very curious about his biological family.
—Jonathan M. Pitts, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2020
Sally Hawkins is Elisa, the mute janitor who, we’re told, was rescued from a river as a foundling.
—Michael Phillips, idahostatesman, 25 Dec. 2017
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Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Clementine seems a foundling in need of any stable influence, while in her spookily near-complete isolation (there’s no hint of contact with friends or family), Kelly-Anne could use a little basic humanizing.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Sep. 2024
Clark, a foundling, born Kal-El, famous as Superman, has lost his memory more than once and regularly comes face to face with, and sometimes fist to fist with, perverse reflections or imitations of himself.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2021
At the start of the poem, the narrator describes the career of Scyld Scefing, a foundling who establishes a kingdom in Denmark and is given a splendid burial at sea.
—Irina Dumitrescu, The New York Review of Books, 17 Nov. 2020
Joseph Svec, the foundling in question, never seems to have been very curious about his biological family.
—Jonathan M. Pitts, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2020
Sally Hawkins is Elisa, the mute janitor who, we’re told, was rescued from a river as a foundling.
—Michael Phillips, idahostatesman, 25 Dec. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Foundling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foundling. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
foundling
noun
found·ling
ˈfau̇n-(d)liŋ
: an infant found after being abandoned by unknown parents
Medical Definition
foundling
noun
found·ling
ˈfau̇n-(d)liŋ
: an infant found after its unknown parents have abandoned it
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