formulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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formulates,
present (3rd person singular)
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formulated,
past participle, past
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formulating
present participle
verb
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to put into or express in systematic terms; express in or as if in a formula
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to devise
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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formulationnoun
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formulatornoun
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nonformulationnoun
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preformulationnoun
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preformulateverb (used with object)
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formulableadjective
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unformulatedadjective
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well-formulatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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formulatesimple
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formulatessimple
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have formulatedperfect
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has formulatedperfect
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am formulatingprogressive
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are formulatingprogressive
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is formulatingprogressive
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have been formulatingperfect progressive
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has been formulatingperfect progressive
Past
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formulatedsimple
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had formulatedperfect
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was formulatingprogressive
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were formulatingprogressive
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had been formulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of formulate
Explanation
To formulate is to come up with a plan. If you are locked out of your house, you'll need to formulate a plan to get back inside — preferably one that doesn't involve kicking in the door. You can also use the verb formulate to mean "put into words." If too many people are showing up at your work in inappropriate clothes, your company may formulate a dress code policy. They may, for example, decree that shoes must be worn at all times. The verb can also mean "to develop a formula for something." If the dog ate the chicken you were going to use in your dinner, you may need to formulate a new recipe for chicken-less pot pie.
Vocabulary lists containing formulate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Shape Up: Form
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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:
Ms. Takaichi eventually might even have to formulate an economic plan that doesn’t hinge on “stimulus” spending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
It was this link between one-way genetic flow, patrilocality, and the non-reciprocity of exchange that led me, in Néandertal nu in 2022, to formulate the singular paradox: “Neanderthal, Sapiens: I love you… me neither.”
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
McLuhan’s theories about how different forms of media evolve almost help him formulate what would become “Saturday Night Live” many years earlier.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
The new Zhenwu M890 chip "provides a reliable option that is insulated from fluctuations in export controls, enabling domestic AI companies to formulate long-term technology roadmaps," said eetrend.com's Zhang.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
One is that it should incorporate Feynman’s proposal to formulate quantum theory in terms of a sum over histories.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Will that be a factor in Vladimir Putin’s calculations as he formulates Russia’s response?
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2024
The typical comedy equation is tragedy plus time; “Diarra From Detroit” formulates an alternate calculation that joins crisis and unanswered questions.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2024
Not the official fundraising and administrative apparatus that runs conventions and formulates policy platforms, but the broad constellation of think tanks, nonprofits, academic experts, and journalists that collectively regulates the liberal intellectual atmosphere.
From Slate ● Mar. 19, 2024
Mr. Schumer is seeking to craft a comprehensive AI bill and has started talking with his House Republican counterparts as he formulates such a legislative package.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 3, 2023
“Who formulates the policies of these two companies?”
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
That question naturally leads to another: Could quantum mechanics be formulated using only real numbers?
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Plans are being formulated for the months ahead and the band's members have different ambitions for the future.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“The officers formulated a plan and safely took the suspects into custody.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
Through a partnership with sustainability brand ChoViva—owned by Germany’s Planet A Foods—it created a product formulated from fermented and roasted sunflower seeds and oats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
But his revolutionary ideas about the place of the Earth in the Universe had already been formulated by the end of the first decade of the sixteenth century.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Conagra’s team is already formulating products for 2028, keeping a close eye on new anti-obesity drugs currently winding their way through the patent pipeline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Paris and Berlin want "to have a Franco-German roadmap on this issue by September", he said, adding that their economy, finance and foreign ministers had been tasked with formulating the plan.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
It’s all very silly, but when it’s happening at a million miles an hour and you have to be formulating responses to it, I had to figure out a totally different relationship to the internet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
You’re not formulating an answer when you’re watching a movie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
Around the time that Shin and Park were formulating their escape plan, the North Korean government concluded that the border had become far too porous and posed a threat to internal security.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
