format

American  

[fawr-mat] / ˈfɔr mæt /

noun

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
• preformat
  verb (used with object)
• reformat
  verb

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has formatted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have formatted
  perfect
• formatting
  participle
• formats
  singular 3rd person
• are formatting
  progressive
• am formatting
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been formatting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been formatting
  perfect progressive
• is formatting
  progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had formatted
  perfect
• was formatting
  progressive singular
• were formatting
  progressive plural
• formatted
  participle
• formatted
  simple
• 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

For Po and many others, it was a nonnegotiable to see the movie in the highest-fidelity format touted by Nolan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

How do you feel about this evolution we’re seeing to the format?

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

England captain Ben Stokes said the Lord's pitch on which his side won the first Test against New Zealand is not helpful for the future of the game's longest format.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

This year, an expanded format of 48 teams and 104 matches running across 39 days means that commercial opportunities are even more significant.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

He didn’t like the fast-paced “magazine” format of the show.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

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