Definitions for formation
fɔrˈmeɪ ʃənfor·ma·tion

Princeton's WordNet(3.75 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. formation(noun)

   an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit

   "a defensive formation"; "a formation of planes"

2. formation, shaping(noun)

   the act of fabricating something in a particular shape

3. constitution, establishment, formation, organization, organisation(noun)

   the act of forming or establishing something

   "the constitution of a PTA group last year"; "it was the establishment of his reputation"; "he still remembers the organization of the club"

4. geological formation, formation(noun)

   (geology) the geological features of the earth

5. formation(noun)

   a particular spatial arrangement

6. formation(noun)

   natural process that causes something to form

   "the formation of gas in the intestine"; "the formation of crystals"; "the formation of pseudopods"

7. formation(noun)

   creation by mental activity

   "the formation of sentences"; "the formation of memories"

Wiktionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. formation(Noun)

   Something possessing structure or form.

2. formation(Noun)

   The act of assembling a group or structure.

3. formation(Noun)

   A rock or face of a mountain.

4. formation(Noun)

   A grouping of military units or smaller formations under a command, such as a brigade, division, wing, etc.

5. formation(Noun)

   An arrangement of moving troops, ships, or aircraft, such as a wedge, line abreast, or echelon. Often "in formation".

6. formation(Noun)

   The process of influencing or guiding a person to a deeper understanding of a particular vocation.

Origin: From formation, from formatio, from formare; see form as verb.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Formation(noun)

   the act of giving form or shape to anything; a forming; a shaping

2. Formation(noun)

   the manner in which a thing is formed; structure; construction; conformation; form; as, the peculiar formation of the heart

3. Formation(noun)

   a substance formed or deposited

4. Formation(noun)

   mineral deposits and rock masses designated with reference to their origin; as, the siliceous formation about geysers; alluvial formations; marine formations

5. Formation(noun)

   a group of beds of the same age or period; as, the Eocene formation

6. Formation(noun)

   the arrangement of a body of troops, as in a square, column, etc

Origin: [L. formatio: cf. F. formation.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Formation

   A formation in American football refers to the position players line up in before the start of a down. There are both offensive and defensive formations and there are many formations in both categories.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. formation

   1. An ordered arrangement of troops and/or vehicles for a specific purpose. 2. An ordered arrangement of two or more ships, units, or aircraft proceeding together under a commander.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. formation

   The drawing up or arrangement of troops, or small-arm men, in certain orders prescribed as the basis of manœuvres in general. Also, the particulars of a ship's build.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. formation

   Song lyrics by formation -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by formation on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'formation' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2497

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'formation' in Nouns Frequency: #1033

How to pronounce formation?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say formation in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of formation in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of formation in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of formation in a Sentence

1. Herbert Spencer:

   Education has for its object the formation of character.

2. Harald Ott:

   The aim is ... the formation of a fully lined vascular system.

3. Xiaosong Gu:

   The findings provide a robust genetic basis of adhesive setae formation.

4. Dr. Rob Gilbert:

   It's all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation.

5. Ahmad Naser Sarmast:

   The formation of the orchestra is an achievement in itself, i WILL NEVER ACCEPT DEFEAT.

Images & Illustrations of formation

Popularity rank by frequency of use