font

1 of 2

noun (1)

Synonyms of fontnext
: an assortment or set of type or characters all of one style and sometimes one size

font

2 of 2

noun (2)

ˈfänt How to pronounce font (audio)
1
a
: a receptacle for baptismal water
b
: a receptacle for holy water
c
: a receptacle for various liquids
2
: source, fountain
a font of information
fontal
ˈfän-tᵊl How to pronounce font (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of font

Relevance

Noun (2)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of font in a Sentence

Noun (2) a domestic diva who is a seemingly endless font of new ideas
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
His work is crisp, playful, and nostalgic, replicating the exact fonts and presentations of centuries-old stylings for businesses and public parks alike. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026 This is a great way to experience apps, as photos, fonts, and everything else get bigger and easier to see. — Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026 Social media videos of him hitting tennis balls and baseballs while listing his policy proposals have provided a font of online mockery. — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026 Places that have been around for 30 or 40 years, whose storefront isn't super aesthetic, with Gen Z fonts. — Khushbu Shah, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for font

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French fonte, from Middle French, act of founding, from Vulgar Latin *fundita, feminine of funditus, past participle of Latin fundere to found, pour — more at found

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin font-, fons, from Latin, fountain

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1664, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of font was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing font

Rhymes for font

See All Rhymes for font

Browse Nearby Words

fons et origo
font
Fontainea
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Font.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/font. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

font

1 of 2 noun
ˈfänt How to pronounce font (audio)
1
: a basin for baptismal or holy water
2
: fountain sense 2

font

2 of 2 noun
: an assortment of type or characters all of one size and style
Etymology

Noun

Old English font "basin for holy water," derived from Latin font-, fons "fountain, spring" — related to fountain

Noun

from early French fonte "act of casting metal," derived from Latin fundere "to pour melted metal into a mold" — related to found entry 3, founder entry 2

More from Merriam-Webster on font

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about font

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All