What does "fountain" mean?
A natural source of water; a spring.
Fountain
/[ˈfaʊn.tn̩]/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A natural source of water; a spring.
- Grammar: fountain is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: fount, jet, natural spring, anabasis.
- Useful contrasts: absorb, congeal, consume.
- Usage evidence: There is a fountain in front of the station.
How to use "fountain"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fountain" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fountain" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fountain" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fountain" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fountain" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "fount" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fountain", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A natural source of water; a spring.
"A little fountaine became a riuer, and there was light, & the Sunne, and much water: this riuer is Eſther, whō the King married and made Queene."
- 2 a plumbing fixture that provides a flow of water wordnet
- 3 An artificial, usually ornamental, water feature (usually in a garden or public place) consisting of one or more streams of water originating from a statue or other structure.
"His house is right beside that fountain on Street 15."
- 4 an artificially produced flow of water wordnet
- 5 The structure from which an artificial fountain can issue.
"As they turned into Hertford Street they startled a robin from the poet's head on a barren fountain, and he fled away with a cameo note."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises wordnet
- 7 A reservoir from which liquid can be drawn.
"They heard her rouse the sleeping servant, and with her enter the kitchen; then the noise of a fire being lighted and the fountain being filled came to the watchers."
- 8 a natural flow of ground water wordnet
- 9 A source or origin of a flow (e.g., of favors or knowledge). figuratively
"Nothing will pleaſe ſome Men, but Books ſtuff’d with Antiquity, groaning under the weight of Learned Quotations drawn from the Fountains: And what is all this but Pilfering."
- 10 A roundel barry wavy argent and azure.
"Crest : A boar's head couped gold semy of fountains armed gules. Motto : REMIS VELISQUE. Granted by the College of Arms 1966."
- 11 A juggling pattern typically done with an even number of props where each prop is caught by the same hand that throws it.
- 12 A soda fountain. US
"He takes out a soup bowl, fills it with Pepsi from the fountain, and places it carefully on the counter in front of the boy. “That'll be a quarter,” he says professionally."
- 13 A drink poured from a soda fountain, or the cup it is poured into. US
- 14 A ground-based firework that projects sparks similar to a water fountain.
- 15 Anything that resembles a fountain in operation. figuratively
"Travellers over the London & North Western main line in bygone days will need no reminder of the pattering of cinders on the carriage roofs, the fountains of sparks from the chimneys at night and the distance from which the exhaust of approaching locomotives could be heard, due to the fierceness of their blast in such conditions."
Verb
- 1 To flow or gush as if from a fountain. intransitive
"Lava fountained from the volcano."
Proper Noun
- 1 A placename:; A ghost town in Mendocino County, California, United States. countable, uncountable
- 2 A placename:; A city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, named after Fountain Creek (Arkansas River tributary). countable, uncountable
- 3 A placename:; An unincorporated community in Bay County, Florida, United States. countable, uncountable
- 4 A placename:; An unincorporated community in Monroe County, Illinois, United States. countable, uncountable
- 5 A placename:; A city in Fountain County, Indiana, United States, USA formerly known as Portland. countable, uncountable
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A placename:; A village in Mason County, Michigan, United States. countable, uncountable
- 7 A placename:; A city in Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. countable, uncountable
- 8 A placename:; A town in Pitt County, North Carolina, United States. countable, uncountable
- 9 A placename:; An unincorporated community in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. countable, uncountable
- 10 A placename:; A town in Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. countable, uncountable
- 11 A topographic surname. countable, uncountable
Example
"There is a fountain in front of the station."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fountain"?
Common synonyms include: fount, jet, natural spring, anabasis, ascension, ascent.
How do you use "fountain" in a sentence?
There is a fountain in front of the station.
How do you pronounce "fountain"?
Pronounced /[ˈfaʊn.tn̩]/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English [Term?]; from Old French fontaine (whence modern fontaine); from Late Latin fontana, from Latin fontanus, fontaneus, adjectives from fons (“source, spring”).
Etymology 2
Topographic surname for someone who lived near a fountain, spring or well.