Definitions for formation
fɔrˈmeɪ ʃənfor·ma·tion

Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 3 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.

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