formation

American  

[fawr-may-shuhn] / fɔrˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

• formations
  plural

1. the act or process of forming or the state of being formed.

   the formation of ice.

   Synonyms:

   organization, establishment

2. the manner in which a thing is formed; disposition of parts; formal structure or arrangement.

3. Military.

   1. a particular disposition of troops, as in columns, squares, etc.

   2. any required assembling of the soldiers of a unit.

4. Geology.

   1. a body of rocks classed as a stratigraphic unit for geologic mapping.

   2. the process of depositing rock or mineral of a particular composition or origin.

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formation British  

/ fɔːˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of giving or taking form, shape, or existence

2. something that is formed

3. the manner in which something is formed or arranged

4. 1. a formal arrangement of a number of persons or things acting as a unit, such as a troop of soldiers, aircraft in flight, or a football team

   2. ( as modifier )

      formation dancing

5. geology

   1. the fundamental lithostratigraphic unit

   2. a series of rocks with certain characteristics in common

6. ecology a community of plants, such as a tropical rainforest, extending over a very large area

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formation Scientific  

/ fôr-mā′shən /

1. A long, mappable body of rock that is recognizable by its physical characteristics and by its location within the rock record.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misformation
  noun
• nonformation
  noun
• self-formation
  noun
• subformation
  noun
• superformation
  noun
• formational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• formations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of formation

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English formacioun, from Latin fōrmātiōn-, stem of fōrmātiō, from fōrmāt(us) “shaped” (past participle of fōrmāre “to shape, fashion”; cf. form) + -iō -ion

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Explanation

A formation is an arrangement of people or things. Planes flying in formation make a deliberate, specific pattern in the sky. Some formations are on purpose, or deliberate — like military troops marching in formation or a cheerleading squad arranging itself in formation. Others just arrange themselves in a particular way by chance, like a striking cloud formation overhead. You can also talk about the formation — or establishment — of something less physical, like the formation of a new government. The Latin root, formationem, means "a shaping."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

formation formations

The newly identified relationship between feeding rates and jet formation could provide a valuable guide, helping scientists focus their observations on the black holes most likely to produce detectable outflows.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

The formation of the new coalition comes at an uncertain time in a country that has been wracked by violence for decades.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Since finishing fifth in 1991-92, the last season before the formation of the Premier League, City's highest placing had been eighth in 2004-05.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Hurricane Simon, currently spinning along Mexico’s west coast, is expected to make landfall there this week, and forecasters say there’s roughly a 90% chance of another cyclone formation in the next seven days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

I scan the data from Fly’s flight around the strange-looking rock formation with the mesa that has the tunnel-like opening.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

Army leaders have said NGC2 is crucial in an age of cheap drones and precision missiles, which make large, static formations of troops and equipment easy targets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Susanville, the spot on the map, is an immutable intermingling of unique geologic formations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Driscoll wanted urgent modernisation by adding drones throughout ordinary army formations to make it adept for 21st Century warfare.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

The findings are especially significant for Western Australia because the region contains some of the largest banded iron formations on Earth.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

The penguins began to drill very nicely, wheeling and changing their formations with great precision, until Mrs. Popper stopped playing in the middle of the piece.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater

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Related Words

• arrangement
• construction
• creation
• design
• development
• evolution
• forming
• pattern
• production
• structure

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