format
Americannoun
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the shape and size of a book as determined by the number of times the original sheet has been folded to form the leaves.
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the general physical appearance of a book, magazine, or newspaper, such as the typeface, binding, quality of paper, margins, etc.
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the organization, plan, style, or type of something.
The format of the show allowed for topical and controversial gags.
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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.
verb (used with object)
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to plan or provide a format for.
to format the annual telethon.
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Computers.
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to set the format of (input or output).
Some word-processing programs format output in a variety of ways.
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to prepare (a disk) for writing and reading.
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verb (used without object)
noun
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the general appearance of a publication, including type style, paper, binding, etc
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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
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style, plan, or arrangement, as of a television programme
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computing
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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
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the arrangement of text on printed output or a display screen, or a coded description of such an arrangement
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verb
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To divide a disk into marked sectors so that it may store data.
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To determine the arrangement of data for storage or display.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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formatsimple
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formatssimple
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have formattedperfect
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has formattedperfect
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am formattingprogressive
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are formattingprogressive
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is formattingprogressive
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have been formattingperfect progressive
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has been formattingperfect progressive
Past
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formattedsimple
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had formattedperfect
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was formattingprogressive
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were formattingprogressive
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had been formattingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing format
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The special 70mm celluloid is touted as having ultra-high resolution and capturing an unusually wide frame, qualities Nolan says are best experienced by seeing a projection of physical film, not the contemporary standard digital format.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Norton's show clearly still delivers huge value for the BBC, and Kanter says the the "chat show format remains strong" and is a "really important part of the BBC One schedule".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“The Odyssey,” in whatever format it is seen, is an epic adventure with emotional undertones beyond the original story and an existential message that resonates far more than its smattering of modern language.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The film is being shown in the Imax format as well as others.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
They are larger than my usual format, and space out the wall nicely.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
There has been also been newfound attention on theatrical presentation and film formats, including the highly sought after 70mm showing of Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, “The Odyssey.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The theaters will be equipped to show premium formats such as 35mm, 70mm and 4K laser projection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
As space becomes scarce, the company is experimenting with new store formats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
He rose to lead the division that made printing technology for large formats, such as signs or billboards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Romeo and Juliet’s agonising predicament acts like wallpaper to nineteenth-century music: almost wherever you look it is lurking in the background, provoking decade-by-decade settings of many shapes, sizes and formats.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
"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
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
Chris co-authored Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan’s memoir “How to Be a Man” and is the author of a memoir formatted as a pregnancy guide for men, “Rocking Fatherhood.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
Mr Schmidt warned employers to look out for indicators of fraudulent North Korean job applications, including incorrectly formatted phone numbers and mismatched education histories.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025
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
Some journals are experimenting with artificial intelligence to screen submissions or flag common problems, like issues with document formatting.
From Slate ● May 3, 2026
My house is filled to overflowing with clothes I will never wear, books I will never read and pocket-size external hard drives I will never get around to formatting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the reported inaccuracies on Thursday, attributing them to "formatting issues" and saying that the report would be updated.
From Salon ● May 29, 2025
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
