former
Use Former in a sentence
mər adjective
1.
preceding in time; prior or earlier: during a former stage in the proceedings.
2.
past, long past, or ancient: in former times.
3.
preceding in order; being the first of two: Our former manufacturing process was too costly.
4.
being the first mentioned of two ( distinguished from latter ): The former suggestion was preferred to the latter.
5.
having once, or previously, been; erstwhile: a former president.
00:10
Former
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To former
Collins
World English Dictionary
former1 (ˈfɔːmə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | belonging to or occurring in an earlier time: former glory |
| 2. | having been at a previous time: a former colleague |
| 3. | denoting the first or first mentioned of two: in the former case |
| 4. | near the beginning |
| —n | |
| 5. | the former the first or first mentioned of two: distinguished from latter |
| former2 (ˈfɔːmə) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a person or thing that forms or shapes |
| 2. | electrical engineering a tool for giving a coil or winding the required shape, sometimes consisting of a frame on which the wire can be wound, the frame then being removed |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
former
"earlier in time," c.1160, comparative of forme "first," patterned on formest "foremost" (see foremost). An unusual case of a comparative formed from a superlative (the -m- is a superlative element; the word was formed on the analogy of foremost).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Former skeptics develop an alternative hybrid system.
The guide told us interesting stories about those buried there-many of them former exiles.
It is suspected he can dish the dirt on other former police chiefs.
In my opinion, ancient hominids probably fall into the former category, even if modern humans can appear to belong to the latter.
Nearby Words
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