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.

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

2. formation(Noun)

   The act of assembling a group or structure.

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

3. formation(Noun)

   A rock or face of a mountain.

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

4. formation(Noun)

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

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

5. formation(Noun)

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

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

6. formation(Noun)

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

   Etymology: 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

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

2. Formation(noun)

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

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

3. Formation(noun)

   a substance formed or deposited

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

4. Formation(noun)

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

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

5. Formation(noun)

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

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

6. Formation(noun)

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

   Etymology: [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.

Editors Contribution(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. formation

   The act and process of to create or form.

   The formation of the unity government is agreed and we are very grateful.

   Submitted by MaryC on April 26, 2020  

2. formation

   To create or form a structure or design.

   They were excellent at creating formation between the team of gymnasts and water polo teams.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 12, 2020  

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. John Dewey:

   The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.

2. Saida Caballero-Nieves:

   There have been suggestions that these monsters result from the merger of less extreme stars in close binary systems, from what we know about the frequency of massive mergers, this scenario can’t account for all the really massive stars that we see in R136, so it would appear that such stars can originate from the star formation process.

3. Sofiane Ben Tounes:

   We have been waiting for the formation of a permanent five year government to see if the necessary laws are put forward, including the ones for investment that would allow us to enlarge our presence in Tunisia, all the ingredients are now here to succeed.

4. Ehsan Sehgal:

   First, the formation of a route is necessary, before contact and correlation since no journey, no destination is possible without it.

5. Michel Foucault:

   The work of an intellectual is not to mould the political will of others; it is, through the analyses that he does in his own field, to re-examine evidence and assumptions, to shake up habitual ways of working and thinking, to dissipate conventional familiarities, to re-evaluate rules and institutions and to participate in the formation of a political will (where he has his role as citizen to play).

Images & Illustrations of formation

Popularity rank by frequency of use