Meaning & use
founder member
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Meaning
nouncountable
A person who was one of the first members of a club, company, or organization when it began.
Grammar: Countable noun: use 'a founder member' or 'founder members'. Often followed by 'of': a founder member of the club.
Patterns
- a founder member of something
- one of the founder members
She is a founder member of the local photography club.
The company was started by five founder members in 1990.
As a founder member, he still attends every annual meeting.
Word forms
| plural | founder members |
|---|
Common combinations
- a founder member of
- He is a founder member of the university's debating society.
- one of the founder members
- She was one of the founder members of the choir.
- founder member status
- The club gave him founder member status in recognition of his help.
- become a founder member
- You can become a founder member by joining before the official launch.
Synonyms and how they differ
- founding member
- The usual American English term; 'founder member' is more common in British English.
- charter member
- Used especially in American English for a member who joins at the very beginning, often with special rights.
Word family
Commonly confused: founder member or founding father?
founder member vs founding father
A 'founding father' is a leader who helps create a country or important institution, not just a club member.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'founder member' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Founder member of' is the standard pattern. The other prepositions are not used with this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “founder member”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.