formation

American  

[fawr-mey-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

During early adulthood this process is balanced, so bone resorption equals bone formation.

From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026

These conditions suppress cloud formation and favour still weather with little wind.

From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026

And Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, also a Democrat, who was not on the commission but was important in its formation.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026

In the build-up to this tournament, head coach Steve Clarke deployed a 4-4-2 formation in friendlies against Curacao and Bolivia to great effect.

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026

Kuhn’s approach took the scientific enterprise as given, and so inevitably it missed the process of its formation, which was critical to the belated triumph of Copernicanism.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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