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.

---

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

---

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.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• formations
  plural

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

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

After the tropical downpour, the race was initially started with formation laps behind the safety car.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

We used the hydrogen formation history found through these simulations to compute predictions for how cosmic microwave background should appear if there were primordial magnetic fields, and tested these predictions against observations of the background.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

Gen. Rob Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general who initially fought the formation of a new Hollywood colossus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Located at the end of Chain of Craters Road on the island of Hawaii, also called "the big island", the formation was a popular - and heavily photographed - tourist destination.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The journey to the odd-looking rock formation that Fly spotted during his flight takes much longer than expected.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

Paralleling the pair’s different formations and aesthetic willfulness, the exhibition emphasizes points of overlap and rejection, sympathy and refusal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 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 deluge of ice and mud caused huge lakes to form, and one of these formations has become a direct threat to emergency workers scouring the region for survivors.

From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026

Beginning with the shape of United's squad provides much-needed context, but it is important to note that much of their play is based on tactical principles, not just formations.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

She’d started keeping a weather journal, where she wrote down the daily high and low temperatures, the cloud formations, the wind speeds, the amount of sunshine and rain.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Related Words

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