Definitions for FORMER
ˈfɔr mərfor·mer

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.7 / 11 votes

1. formeradjective

   the first of two or the first mentioned of two

   "Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today"

2. former(a)adjective

   referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)

   "the novel was made into a film in 1943 and again in 1967; I prefer the former version to the latter one"

3. erstwhile(a), former(a), old, onetime(a), one-time(a), quondam(a), sometime(a)adjective

   belonging to some prior time

   "erstwhile friend"; "our former glory"; "the once capital of the state"; "her quondam lover"

4. former(a), late(a), previous(a)adjective

   (used especially of persons) of the immediate past

   "the former president"; "our late President is still very active"; "the previous occupant of the White House"

5. early(a), former(a), other(a)adjective

   belonging to the distant past

   "the early inhabitants of Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.2 / 5 votes

1. formernoun

   Someone who forms something.

   Dave was the former of the company.

2. formernoun

   An object used to form something.

   The brick arch was built using a wooden former.

3. formernoun

   Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).

4. formeradjective

   previous

5. formeradjective

   first of aforementioned two items. Used with the, often without a noun.

   The former is a good idea but the latter is not.

6. Etymology: From former, comparative of forme, from forma.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Formeradjective

   whence former, and formost

   Etymology: from forma , Saxon, first;

   1. Before another in time.

   Thy air,
   Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first:
   —— A third is like the former. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   2. Mentioned before another.

   A bad author deserves better usage than a bad critick: a man may be the former merely through the misfortune of an ill judgment; but he cannot be the latter without both that and an ill temper. Alexander Pope.

   3. Past: as, this was the custom in former times.

2. Formernoun

   He that forms; maker; contriver; planner.

   Etymology: from form.

   The wonderful art and providence of the contriver and former of our bodies, appears in the multitude of intentions he must have in the formation of several parts for several uses. John Ray, on the Creation.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Former

   A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature. A former may become an integral part of the finished structure, as in an aircraft fuselage, or it may be removable, being using in the construction process and then discarded or re-used.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. Formernoun

   one who forms; a maker; a creator

2. Formernoun

   a shape around which an article is to be shaped, molded, woven wrapped, pasted, or otherwise constructed

3. Formernoun

   a templet, pattern, or gauge by which an article is shaped

4. Formernoun

   a cutting die

5. Formeradjective

   preceding in order of time; antecedent; previous; prior; earlier; hence, ancient; long past

6. Formeradjective

   near the beginning; preceeding; as, the former part of a discourse or argument

7. Formeradjective

   earlier, as between two things mentioned together; first mentioned

WikidataRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. Former

   A former is a structural member of an aircraft fuselage, of which a typical fuselage has a series from the nose to the empennage, typically perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The primary purpose of formers is to establish the shape of the fuselage and reduce the column length of stringers to prevent instability. Formers are typically attached to longerons, which support the skin of the aircraft. The Former-and-Longeron technique was adopted from boat construction, and was typical of light aircraft built until the advent of structural skins such as fiberglass and other composite materials. Many of today's light aircraft, and homebuilt aircraft in particular, are still designed in this way. They are also found in the cores of potentiometers in which the resistive material is wrapped round.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Former

   form′ėr, adj. (comp. of fore) before in time or order: past: first mentioned.—adv. Form′erly, in former times: heretofore. [Formed late on analogy of M. E. formest by adding comp. suff. -er to base of A.S. forma, first, itself a superlative form.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. former

   The gunner's term for a small cylindrical piece of wood, on which musket or pistol cartridge-cases are rolled and formed. The name is also applied to the flat piece of wood with a hole in the centre used for making wads, but which is properly form.

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Former

   Former vs. Latter -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Former and Latter.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. FORMER

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Former is ranked #153769 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Former surname appeared 106 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Former.
   
   51.8% or 55 total occurrences were White.
   37.7% or 40 total occurrences were Black.
   7.5% or 8 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'FORMER' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #532

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'FORMER' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2720

Anagrams for FORMER »

1. reform

How to pronounce FORMER?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say FORMER in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of FORMER in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of FORMER in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of FORMER in a Sentence

1. Chilo:

   Prefer loss to the wealth of dishonest gain; the former vexes you for a time; the latter will bring you lasting remorse.

2. Samuel Alito:

   I had the honor this term of writing, I think, the only Supreme Court decision in the history of that institution that has been lambasted by a whole string of foreign leaders, one of these was former Prime Minister Boris Johnson -- but he paid the price.

3. Josh Turner:

   It’s with a heavy heart that I say we lost our former truck driver to a long battle with cancer, may he rest in God’s arms.

4. Jeff Kaufmann:

   I've been meeting and interviewing and having events with these individuals literally for over a year now, we just had Tim Scott from South Carolina up here. Tim Scott from South Carolina really connected with Iowa GOP members, Iowa GOP members. [ Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN ] Nikki Haley was just up here in Dubuque. She had the crowds listening to her every word. Rick Scott has been up here a couple of times. Tom Cotton has probably been up here the most and has crisscrossed, I don't know, [ about ] of a quarter of the state. Mike Pompeo is getting a really good reception. The former vice president [ Pence ] is here again … and he'll be coming back again, I know, in the not-too-distant future.

5. Laura Ingraham:

   Four people in that meeting -- myself, [Parnas] former partner Igor Fruman, and two others say thats absolutely untrue -- and the meeting never took place. it indicateshe lied, misrepresented.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=FORMER
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Former
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=FORMER
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Former
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/FORMER
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=FORMER
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=FORMER
8. ^ Dictionary of Nautical Terms
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=FORMER
9. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
   https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html