formation

American  

[fawr-mey-shuhn] / fɔrˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

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

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

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

He pulled Messi off the right wing and placed him at the tip of the forward formation - but without the job of a traditional striker.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Subsidized egg-freezing for women who delay childbearing for career reasons could extend the window for family formation without forcing an impossible choice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

On the three-year weekly chart, the stock appears to be carving out what could become the right clavicle of a larger bearish head-and-shoulders formation.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

His all-Oxford intellectual formation comes out of the post-“Great Financial Crisis” macro-finance school that views financial crises as driven by leverage cycles, liquidity spirals and risk-taking channels as much as by the traditional business cycle.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

Marina had flown other bombing missions with Nadya, and the two pilots were comfortable flying their Po-2s in formation.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

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