Definitions for former
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word former.
the first of two or the first mentioned of two
"Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today"
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"
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"
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"
early(a), former(a), other(a)adjective
belonging to the distant past
"the early inhabitants of Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times"
Someone who forms something.
Dave was the former of the company.
An object used to form something.
The brick arch was built using a wooden former.
Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).
first of aforementioned two items. Used with the, often without a noun.
The former is a good idea but the latter is not.
Etymology: From former, comparative of forme, from forma.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
whence former, and formost
Etymology: from forma , Saxon, first;
Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first:
—— A third is like the former. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.
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.
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.
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.
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.
one who forms; a maker; a creator
a shape around which an article is to be shaped, molded, woven wrapped, pasted, or otherwise constructed
a templet, pattern, or gauge by which an article is shaped
a cutting die
preceding in order of time; antecedent; previous; prior; earlier; hence, ancient; long past
near the beginning; preceeding; as, the former part of a discourse or argument
earlier, as between two things mentioned together; first mentioned
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 Dictionary
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 Terms
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.
Former vs. Latter -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Former and Latter.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
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
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'former' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #532
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'former' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2720
The numerical value of former in Chaldean Numerology is: 1
The numerical value of former in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
I never once called Former President Donald Trump ‘ too old. ’ I never once said Former President Donald Trump could not understand the Internet. And yet, somehow, Former President Donald Trump got that information and believed it to be true, actually, what I was saying was a defense of Former President Donald Trump so that Former President Donald Trump supporters would still believe in Former President Donald Trump.
Former Sen. Bob Dole said. Former Sen. Bob Dole served in both the House and the Senate, before becoming the Republican Party’s nominee for the White House in 1996 – an election Former Sen. Bob Dole lost to Bill Clinton. Oh my gosh, Former Sen. Bob Dole is Former Sen. Bob Dole. I ’m so honored to have Former Sen. Bob Dole support and honored to have the support of literally hundreds of veterans, the policies of the Obama administration have left the Veterans Administration in an utter mess and one of my first priorities as president will be to fix this broken system and give our veterans the care they deserve. I ’m thankful for Senator Dole’s valued advice.
What is happening now is not a surprise. It was predicted. If anything, it is happening faster than predicted, said Mick Mulroy, the Pentagon's former top Middle East policy official and an ABC News analyst. We are not seeing the worst of it. The Taliban is not only taking territory, they are killing people with the weapons we provided to Afghan security forces, said Mulroy, a former CIA officer and Marine infantryman who served in Afghanistan.
President Donald Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly told a Des Moines audience Tuesday that his former boss can’t admit to making a mistake because “his manhood is at issue here.” “I don't understand it, although I had to deal with it every day, said Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general who served as Trump’s top aide from July 31, 2017, until his Jan. 2, 2019, resignation.
I had a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons ofthe former slaves and the sons of the former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for former
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- предишен, минал, бившBulgarian
- previCatalan, Valencian
- ex, anterior, primero, primera, aquella, aquello, antiguoSpanish
- اولی, سابق, اسبق, قدیمPersian
- edellinen, edeltävä, ensimmäinen, entinenFinnish
- celui-là, précédent, ancien, premierFrench
- előző, előbbi, egykori, hajdani, korábbiHungarian
- mantan, terdahuluIndonesian
- anteriore, precedente, primo, exItalian
- 前者, 前Japanese
- უწინდელი, წინანდელიGeorgian
- پێشو, بهرترKurdish
- deze, voormalig, eerstgenoemdeDutch
- پخوانیPashto, Pushto
- primeiro, anteriorPortuguese
- прежний, первый, бывший, предыдущийRussian
- prethodni, bivšiSerbo-Croatian
- före detta, föregående, fornaSwedish
- మునుపటి, ముందరిTelugu
- ilk, eski, önce, öncekiTurkish
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