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.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. former

   Former is an adjective that refers to a person who held or occupied a particular position, status, or role in the past but no longer does. It indicates that someone or something used to be in a specific state or condition but has since changed.

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. Merrick Garland:

   I’ve read, in the last few days, these allegations about Kristen Clarke, who I’ve also gotten to know, who I also trust, who I believe is a person of integrity, whose views about the civil rights division I have discussed with her and they are in line with my own, i have every reason to want her. She is an experienced former line prosecutor of hate crimes and we need somebody like that.

2. Ambassador Danon:

   Peter Anthony Gallo, an international lawyer and former investigator for the UNs own watchdog, the OIOS, told Fox News that Peter Anthony Gallo was not surprised by the allegations. [ They ] do not surprise me in the slightest ; there is nothing unusual in them and they could just as easily have come from any one of a number of Organizations in the UN system because they reflect the management culture of disregard for the staff, disregard for the rules and a general air of entitlement and impunity, he said. Gallo who himself was a whistleblower at the U.N. and now director of, Hear their Cries, a group that reports on sexual abuse and exploitation around the world and at the UN. The problem is that U.N. agencies control their own investigative functions and deal with disciplinary matters internally. The result is that instead of being a means of addressing misconduct and wrongdoing, the internal justice system is more of a tool for intimidating any staff members who dare to report misconduct by senior staff, such as by Krahenbuhl and his cronies. Following reports that both Switzerland and the Netherlands suspended their funding to UNRWA, Israels United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon called upon all of the international to suspend funding. The report reveals alarming, but not surprising, findings. In addition to propagating false information about its refugee population, UNRWA has in recent years worked to redirect world funds to continue this corruption industry that has served its leadership. The international community, which generously finances UNRWA, must immediately suspend the budgets assigned to the agency. Ambassador Danon said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The aid money should be gradually transferred to the UNHCR( UN High Commissioner for Refugees), instead of helping the UNRWA leadership continue engaging in a series of ethical offenses.

3. California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff:

   I'm not sure that Robert Mueller team's germane, for example, for the judge to be asking how much Bob Mueller has spent on the investigation, robert Mueller team's appropriate to ask about the scope of what Bob Mueller is doing, but Bob Mueller is well within the scope of Bob Mueller jurisdiction in charging Paul Manafort and( former national security adviser Michael) Flynn and the others.

4. Chris Saeger:

   We see Mr. Wheeler as fitting a very typical pattern of behavior, he started off in the Senate, then went to a lobbying firm. Now he will be at a very high-ranking position at the EPA, where he will be in a position to make lots of decisions that could benefit his former clients. That's a disturbing pattern that I think is very common to natural resources management in general in the President Donald Trump administration.

5. Colleague Jim Swift:

   As a former staffer myself, this must be a really depressing job. Ideally, young people go to work in Congress because they want to make a difference.

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. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/former
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=former
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=former
9. ^ Dictionary of Nautical Terms
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=former
10. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
    https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html