Find vs. Found — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 28, 2024
Find involves discovering or locating something either by search or chance, whereas found refers to establishing or starting something, like a company.
Difference Between Find and Found
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Find is primarily used to describe the action of discovering or locating something, which can be through intentional search or accidental encounter. It implies a process or effort leading to the discovery. On the other hand, found is the past tense of "find" but also commonly used to mean to establish or set up something, particularly organizations, institutions, or settlements.
When you find something, it suggests that the object or information was already existing but not immediately known or visible to you until that moment. Whereas founding something involves creating or initiating something that did not exist before, marking the beginning of its existence.
The context in which find is used often relates to the present or recent past, highlighting an action or event that has just taken place. Meanwhile, found, when used in the context of establishing, is associated with the initial act of creation, which could be historical or recent, depending on the subject.
Find can be applied in a wide range of scenarios, from everyday situations to scientific discoveries. For example, finding your keys, finding a solution, or finding a new species. On the other hand, found is more specific in its application, primarily used when talking about the inception of companies, cities, or organizations.
The emotional connotation of finding something often carries a sense of relief, satisfaction, or excitement, depending on what is found. In contrast, founding something carries a sense of achievement, responsibility, and the start of a new venture or era.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
To discover or locate something by searching or by chance.
To establish or begin something, such as an organization or settlement.
Usage in Sentences
E.g., I finally found my lost watch under the couch.
E.g., They founded the first library in the town.
Time Frame
Present or recent past, relating to the moment of discovery.
Can refer to a historical event or a recent action of establishing.
Emotional Connotation
Often implies relief, satisfaction, or excitement.
Implies achievement and the start of something new.
Scope of Use
Broad, can apply to objects, information, or discoveries.
More specific, usually related to initiating organizations or entities.
Compare with Definitions
Find
To discover something lost or hidden.
She was thrilled to find her old diary in the attic.
Found
To establish or set up, particularly an institution or organization.
The NGO was founded to aid disaster victims.
Find
To recognize or identify.
Can you find the difference between these two pictures?
Found
To lay the base of something; to build upon.
The city was founded on the ideals of freedom and equality.
Find
To arrive at a conclusion or understanding.
The jury will find a verdict after the deliberation.
Found
To establish the basis for something.
The theory is founded on solid research.
Find
To perceive or notice something.
I find it hard to believe he didn't know.
Found
To originate or create something.
The festival was founded to celebrate local arts and culture.
Find
To obtain or acquire.
He found solace in music.
Found
To cast (an object) by melting and molding metal.
The sculpture was founded in bronze.
Find
To come upon, often by accident; meet with
Found a dime on the floor.
Found
Past and past participle of find
Find
(ditransitive) Locate on behalf of another
I found you a new place to live
Found
Establish or originate (an institution or organization)
The monastery was founded in 1665
Find
To come upon or discover by searching or making an effort
Finally found the leak in the pipe.
Found
Base (something) on a particular principle, idea, or feeling
A society founded on the highest principles of religion and education
Find
To discover or ascertain through observation, experience, or study
Found a solution.
Find the product of two numbers.
Found that it didn't really matter.
Found
Melt and mould (metal).
Find
To perceive to be, after experience or consideration
Found the gadget surprisingly useful.
Found the book entertaining.
Found
Having been discovered by chance or unexpectedly.
Find
To experience or feel
Found comfort in her smile.
Found
(of a ship) equipped
The ship was well found and seaworthy
Find
To recover (something lost)
Found her keys.
Found
To establish or set up, especially with provision for continuing existence
The college was founded in 1872.
Find
To recover the use of; regain
Found my voice and replied.
Found
To establish the foundation or basis of; base
Found a theory on firm evidence.
Find
To succeed in reaching; arrive at
The dart found its mark.
Found
To melt (metal) and pour into a mold.
Find
To obtain or acquire by effort
Found the money by economizing.
Found
To make (objects) by pouring molten material into a mold.
Find
To decide on and make a declaration about
The jury deliberated and found a verdict of guilty.
Found
Past tense and past participle of find.
Find
To furnish; supply
We can find a bed for you somewhere in the house.
Found
Simple past tense and past participle of find
Find
To bring (oneself) to an awareness of what one truly wishes to be and do in life.
Found
(transitive) To start (an institution or organization).
Find
To perceive (oneself) to be in a specific place or condition
Found herself at home that night.
Found himself drawn to the stranger.
Found
(transitive) To begin building. en
Find
To come to a legal decision or verdict
The jury found for the defendant.
Found
To melt, especially of metal in an industrial setting.
Find
The act of finding.
Found
To form by melting a metal and pouring it into a mould; to cast.
Find
Something that is found, especially an unexpectedly valuable discovery
The Rosetta stone was a providential archaeological find.
Found
(obsolete) Food and lodging; board.
Find
To locate
Found
A thin, single-cut file for comb-makers.
Find
(transitive) To encounter or discover by accident; to happen upon.
I found this shell on the beach
Found
To form by melting a metal, and pouring it into a mold; to cast.
Find
(transitive) To encounter or discover something being searched for; to locate.
I found my car keys. They were under the couch.
Found
To lay the basis of; to set, or place, as on something solid, for support; to ground; to establish upon a basis, literal or figurative; to fix firmly.
I had else been perfect,Whole as the marble, founded as the rock.
A man that all his timeHath founded his good fortunes on your love.
It fell not, for it was founded on a rock.
Find
(ditransitive) To discover by study or experiment direct to an object or end.
Water is found to be a compound substance.
Found
To take the ffirst steps or measures in erecting or building up; to furnish the materials for beginning; to begin to raise; to originate; as, to found a college; to found a family.
There they shall foundTheir government, and their great senate choose.
Find
(transitive) To gain, as the object of desire or effort.
To find leisure; to find means
Found
A thin, single-cut file for combmakers.
Find
(transitive) To attain to; to arrive at; to acquire.
Looks like he found a new vehicle for himself!
Found
Food and lodging provided in addition to money;
They worked for $30 and found
Find
(transitive) To point out.
He kept finding faults with my work.
Found
Set up or found;
She set up a literacy program
Find
(ditransitive) To decide that, to discover that, to form the opinion that.
I find your argument unsatisfactory.
Found
Set up or lay the groundwork for;
Establish a new department
Find
(transitive) To arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish.
To find a verdict; to find a true bill (of indictment) against an accused person
Found
Use as a basis for; found on;
Base a claim on some observation
Find
To supply; to furnish.
To find food for workmen
Found
Come upon unexpectedly or after searching;
Found art
The lost-and-found department
Find
To provide for
He finds his nephew in money.
Find
To determine or judge.
The jury finds for the defendant.
Find
To successfully pass to or shoot the ball into.
Peters finds Jinkins, who is running down the left wing.
Find
To discover game.
Find
Anything that is found (usually valuable), as objects on an archeological site or a person with talent.
Find
The act of finding.
Find
To meet with, or light upon, accidentally; to gain the first sight or knowledge of, as of something new, or unknown; hence, to fall in with, as a person.
Searching the window for a flint, I foundThis paper, thus sealed up.
In woods and forests thou art found.
Find
To learn by experience or trial; to perceive; to experience; to discover by the intellect or the feelings; to detect; to feel.
The torrid zone is now found habitable.
Find
To come upon by seeking; as, to find something lost.
Seek, and ye shall find.
Every mountain now hath found a tongue.
Find
To provide for; to supply; to furnish; as, to find food for workemen; he finds his nephew in money.
Wages £14 and all found.
Nothing a day and find yourself.
Find
To arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish; as, to find a verdict; to find a true bill (of indictment) against an accused person.
To find his title with some shows of truth.
Find
To determine an issue of fact, and to declare such a determination to a court; as, the jury find for the plaintiff.
Find
Anything found; a discovery of anything valuable; especially, a deposit, discovered by archæologists, of objects of prehistoric or unknown origin.
Find
A productive insight
Find
The act of discovering something
Find
Come upon, as if by accident; meet with;
We find this idea in Plato
I happened upon the most wonderful bakery not very far from here
She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day
Find
Discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of;
She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water
We found traces of lead in the paint
Find
Come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost;
Did you find your glasses?
I cannot find my gloves!
Find
After a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study;
Find the product of two numbers
The physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel Prize
Find
Come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds;
I feel that he doesn't like me
I find him to be obnoxious
I found the movie rather entertaining
Find
Perceive or be contemporaneous with;
We found Republicans winning the offices
You'll see a lot of cheating in this school
I want to see results
The 1960 saw the rebellion of the younger generation against established traditions
I want to see results
Find
Get something or somebody for a specific purpose;
I found this gadget that will serve as a bottle opener
I got hold of these tools to fix our plumbing
The chairman got hold of a secretary on Friday night to type the urgent letter
Find
Make a discovery, make a new finding;
Roentgen discovered X-rays
Physicists believe they found a new elementary particle
Find
Make a discovery;
She found that he had lied to her
The story is false, so far as I can discover
Find
Obtain through effort or management;
She found the time and energy to take care of her aging parents
We found the money to send our sons to college
Find
Decide on and make a declaration about;
Find someone guilty
Find
Receive a specified treatment (abstract);
These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation
His movie received a good review
I got nothing but trouble for my good intentions
Find
Perceive oneself to be in a certain condition or place;
I found myself in a difficult situation
When he woke up, he found himself in a hospital room
Find
Get or find back; recover the use of;
She regained control of herself
She found her voice and replied quickly
Find
Succeed in reaching; arrive at;
The arrrow found its mark
Find
Accept and make use of one's personality, abilities, and situation;
My son went to Berkeley to find himself
Common Curiosities
How is the word found used differently from find?
Found is used to refer to the establishment or creation of something, such as an organization, whereas find refers to the discovery of something that already exists.
Can found be used in the same way as find?
No, found has a specific use when referring to establishing something, unlike find, which is used for discovering something.
What is the significance of founding in history?
Founding is significant as it marks the beginning of institutions, cities, or nations, often reflecting the values and intentions of the founders.
Is finding always intentional?
No, finding can be either the result of an intentional search or an accidental discovery.
What does it mean to found a company?
To found a company means to establish or start the company, laying the groundwork for its operation and growth.
What does it mean to find something?
To find something means to discover or locate it, either by intentionally searching for it or encountering it by chance.
Can you use found for objects like keys or phones?
No, the correct term for locating lost objects is find. Found, in this context, would be grammatically incorrect.
How does the context change the meaning of found?
In historical or establishment contexts, found refers to creating or starting something. In other contexts, it's simply the past tense of find, meaning to have discovered something.
Is the emotional response to finding and founding different?
Yes, finding something often elicits relief or joy, whereas founding something is associated with achievement and the beginning of a new venture.
What is a common scenario where you would use find?
A common scenario would be searching for a lost item, like finding your glasses.
Are find and found interchangeable?
No, they serve different purposes; find relates to discovery, and found relates to establishment or creation.
What does it imply to find interest in something?
It implies developing a fascination or enthusiasm for that thing, typically after discovering or exploring it.
How do find and found relate to discovery and creation?
Find relates to the act of discovery, revealing what already exists, whereas found pertains to creation, bringing something new into existence.
Is there a legal aspect to founding?
Yes, founding an organization or company usually involves legal processes to establish its official existence and operation.
Can the action of founding be done by a single person?
Yes, a single person can found an organization, company, or other entity, though it often involves collaboration.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
