format

American  

[fawr-mat] / ˈfɔr mæt /

noun

• formats
  plural

1. the shape and size of a book as determined by the number of times the original sheet has been folded to form the leaves.

2. the general physical appearance of a book, magazine, or newspaper, such as the typeface, binding, quality of paper, margins, etc.

3. the organization, plan, style, or type of something.

   The format of the show allowed for topical and controversial gags.

4. Computers. the arrangement of data for computer input or output, such as the number and size of fields in a record or the spacing and punctuation of information in a report.

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verb (used with object)

• formats,
  present (3rd person singular)
• formatted,
  past participle,  past
• formatting
  present participle

1. to plan or provide a format for.

   to format the annual telethon.

2. Computers.

   1. to set the format of (input or output).

      Some word-processing programs format output in a variety of ways.

   2. to prepare (a disk) for writing and reading.

verb (used without object)

• formats,
  present (3rd person singular)
• formatted,
  past participle,  past
• formatting
  present participle

1. to devise a format.

format British  

/ ˈfɔːmæt /

noun

1. the general appearance of a publication, including type style, paper, binding, etc

2. an approximate indication of the size of a publication as determined by the number of times the original sheet of paper is folded to make a leaf See also duodecimo quarto

3. style, plan, or arrangement, as of a television programme

4. computing

   1. the defined arrangement of data encoded in a file or for example on magnetic disk or CD-ROM, essential for the correct recording and recovery of data on different devices

   2. the arrangement of text on printed output or a display screen, or a coded description of such an arrangement

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verb

1. to arrange (a book, page, etc) into a specified format

format Scientific  

/ fôr′măt′ /

1. The arrangement of data for storage or display.

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1. To divide a disk into marked sectors so that it may store data.

2. To determine the arrangement of data for storage or display.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• formatter
  noun
• reformat
  verb
• preformat
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• formats
  plural

Participles

• formatting
  present
• formatted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• format
  simple
• formats
  simple
• have formatted
  perfect
• has formatted
  perfect
• am formatting
  progressive
• are formatting
  progressive
• is formatting
  progressive
• have been formatting
  perfect progressive
• has been formatting
  perfect progressive

Past

• formatted
  simple
• had formatted
  perfect
• was formatting
  progressive
• were formatting
  progressive
• had been formatting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will format
  simple
• will have formatted
  perfect
• will be formatting
  progressive
• will have been formatting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of format

First recorded in 1830–40; from French, from Latin (liber) fōrmātus “(book) shaped (in a specified way)”; see formation ( def. )

Explanation

In saving a new electronic document, you must choose a format, for instance PDF, Word doc, or XML, which dictates how the information is to be organized, displayed, and manipulated. To format information is to arrange it according to preexisting parameters. Electronic files require a format or, more commonly, a "file type," so computers will know how to open, read, and change them. Entertainment media are delivered in such varied formats as VHS, CD, DVD, MP3, and MOV. In the world of AM/FM radio, format is the type of music a station plays, such as top-40, urban, dance, or country.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

format formats formatted formatting

"This is the biggest win so far for Bangladesh in any format," captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Riso al forno — literally “rice from the oven” — is Italian baked rice, an adaptable format in which partially cooked rice finishes with sauce and cheese.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

It'll never be for everyone, but then is any cricket format?

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Much of “Lanterns,” created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King, follows a fairly unremarkable format.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Printing out the list would make a big stack of paper—unless you know how to format, which I do.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

Patrick: Particularly if you want to be a global brand, you have to show up almost everywhere in as many formats, channels and languages as possible while still sticking to your singular brand ethos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Cricket statisticians include The Hundred data in T20 records, meaning Buttler now has 14,833 runs in the shortest formats.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

"We've got an incredibly strong membership, incredible attendances across formats and we are based in London. It's a really attractive proposition."

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

In interviews with more than 10 theatergoers, MarketWatch found that almost every consumer said they could spot the differences among premium formats, with screen scale serving as the primary differentiator.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

Familiar examples include standardized weights and measures, electrical voltages and cables, computer file formats, and paper currency.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

"AI thrives on recognising patterns. And legal citations and arguments are always formatted in the same way, so it's easy for an AI to follow a template and generate fake ones," said Charlotin.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

After leaving ESPN, Bayless joined Fox Sports, where he co-hosted similarly formatted show “Undisputed” — for much of the time with co-host Shannon Sharpe — from 2016- to 2024.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

However, Wells participated in a CBP webinar last week, so she knew how to create a properly formatted file herself, and quickly made her submission on Monday morning.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 20, 2026

"They have become a very deliberate programmed and formatted team."

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

Lon Teter arrived in the final month to serve as, in effect, production foreman—getting an immense and complicated body of work checked, formatted, and into the paper on time.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

While both phones and laptops now have high-quality cameras, the formatting is a dead giveaway that you’re not on a laptop, says Melissa Marcus, a career coach who worked as a recruiter for 20 years.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Spelling mistakes and formatting errors throughout the proclamations have made identifying exempted plants a guessing game.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

Some journals are experimenting with artificial intelligence to screen submissions or flag common problems, like issues with document formatting.

From Slate ● May 3, 2026

All memos in the governor’s office are written in 12 point Century Gothic font with specific spacing between lines, formatting that his aides say helps him with his disability.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

While I was formatting the text from earlier—the one for Another Rachel—a new submission popped up.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• arrangement
• composition
• configuration
• form
• layout
• organization
• pattern
• plan
• scheme
• setup
• shape
• size
• style