Definitions for formation
fɔrˈmeɪ ʃənfor·ma·tion

Princeton's WordNet(3.40 / 5 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. Scott Sheppard:

   In the Solar System's youth, the Sun was surrounded by a rotating disk of gas and dust from which the planets were born. It is believed that a similar gas-and-dust disk surrounded Saturn during its formation, the fact that these newly discovered moons were able to continue orbiting Saturn after their parent moons broke apart indicates that these collisions occurred after the planet formation process was mostly complete and the disks were no longer a factor.

2. Marie Strader:

   We intended this paper to serve as a humble blueprint for how researchers can use this technology to study the functions of coral genes, we are currently conducting experiments investigating how specific genes regulate coral skeletal formation, or calcification, for example. However, we expect this technique could be useful to identify genes involved in many other ecologically important traits such as thermal tolerance or coral bleaching.

3. Yulia Tymoshenko:

   If we want to save this parliament ...then we have to outline together 10-15 categorical conditions that must be met before the formation of any coalition.

4. The SEC:

   To grant a stay now would thwart Congress’s goal of increasing capital formation opportunities.

5. The NHC:

   After that time, unfavorable upper-level winds should limit its formation chances.

Images & Illustrations of formation

Popularity rank by frequency of use