foundry
Americannoun
plural
foundries-
an establishment for producing castings in molten metal.
-
the act or process of founding or casting metal.
-
the category of metal objects made by founding; castings.
noun
-
a place in which metal castings are produced
-
the science or practice of casting metal
-
cast-metal articles collectively
Etymology
Origin of foundry
From the French word fonderie, dating back to 1595–1605. See found 3, -ery
Explanation
A factory that makes things out of hot metal poured into molds is called a foundry. Many of the ordinary objects in your life have parts that were produced in a foundry. The small metal parts that are needed in everything from trucks and cars to refrigerators, lawnmowers, and airplanes, are known as castings. These castings, used in a wide variety of everyday machines, systems, and appliances, are made in a foundry, where hot molten metal is poured into a mold and allowed to harden. Some foundries are distinguished specifically for what they produce, like a type foundry, which makes typefaces for printing presses.
Vocabulary lists containing foundry
Gold Rush: Mining and Metals
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"Let America Be America Again"
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Cat's Cradle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even the legendary pitchman Paul Revere decided he could reach more people in print than on horseback, turning to newspaper ads to pitch his foundry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
A $5 billion investment from Nvidia had raised hopes of a major chip-manufacturing deal but so far there has been no indication that the AI chip leader will commit to using Intel’s foundry.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
In Hong Kong, SMIC, China’s largest chip foundry, advanced more than 11% and Hua Hong Semiconductor soared over 14%.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
It’s also validating for Intel’s foundry business, he said, and could help it attract other large partners and customers.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026
They’d eloped on the Northern Pacific to Seattle—she remembered eating breakfast in the dining car—where he worked for two years in a Harbor Island foundry and for one loading lumber on the waterfront.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
