former
1preceding in time; prior or earlier: The first contestants were eliminated during a former stage in the proceedings.
past, long past, or ancient: In former times, willow was consumed for pain.
preceding in order; being the first of two: Our former manufacturing process was too costly.
being the first mentioned of two (distinguished from latter): The former suggestion was preferred to the latter one.
having once, or previously, been; erstwhile: Every former president receives a lifelong security detail.
the for·mer, the first mentioned of two (distinguished from the latter): There are still economy and business class tickets available, but be sure to book the former if you're on a budget.
Origin of former
1Other words for former
Words Nearby former
Other definitions for former (2 of 2)
Origin of former
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use former in a sentence
former Red Sox star Curt Schilling says his politics are keeping him out of Cooperstown.
Conservative Curt Says His Politics, Not His Pitching, Kept Him Out of the Hall of Fame | Ben Jacobs | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTLike many Americans—but few Republican presidential candidates—the former Florida governor has evolved on the issue.
And now, similarly, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee: "Bend over and take it like a prisoner!"
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner! | Olivia Nuzzi | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTCurrent and former intelligence officials have said North Korea has long been a priority target for American spies.
Lalo said he reported the kidnapping to his ICE handlers, which was confirmed by a former federal agent familiar with the case.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro | Bill Conroy | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Without the former quality, knowledge of the past is uninstructive; without the latter, it is deceptive.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. BallouThe enemy were pursued and annoyed by a few hundred of the citizens under Wooster and Arnold; the former was killed.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellThe latter trod on the toes of the former, whereupon the former threatened to "kick out of the cabin" the latter.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousMy husband detests them; on the contrary, I like those carriages, for they tell me of happy—I mean to say, of former times.
There seemed the flavour of some strange authority in her that baffled all approach to the former intimacy.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
British Dictionary definitions for former (1 of 2)
/ (ˈfɔːmə) /
belonging to or occurring in an earlier time: former glory
having been at a previous time: a former colleague
denoting the first or first mentioned of two: in the former case
near the beginning
the former the first or first mentioned of two: distinguished from latter
British Dictionary definitions for former (2 of 2)
/ (ˈfɔːmə) /
a person or thing that forms or shapes
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 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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