former

English

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔɹmɚ/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔːmə/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)mə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English former, comparative of forme (“first”), from Old English forma (“first”), descended from Proto-Germanic *frumô. Parallel to prior (via Latin), as comparative form from same Proto-Indo-European root. Related to first and fore (thence before), from Proto-Germanic.

Adjective

former (comparative form only)

Previous.
Synonyms: erstwhile, sometime, whilom, wont-to-be; see also Thesaurus:former

Antonyms: next; see also Thesaurus:subsequent

A former president

the former East Germany
- 1892, Walter Besant, chapter III, in The Ivory Gate , New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, , →OCLC:
  At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors. […] In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.
- 2007, Junius P. Rodriguez, Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World:
  The former-slaves-turned-abolitionists Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and Olaudah Equiano were the chief organizers of the Sons of Africa.
First of aforementioned two items. Used with the, often without a noun.
Antonym: latter

The former is a good idea but the latter is not.

We have two cars, a red one and a blue one. We won the former on a game show.

Bananas are tastier than parsnips, but the latter’s nutritional value is higher than the former’s.

Alternative forms

fmr, fmr. (abbreviations)

Derived terms

Translations

Arabic: سَابِق (sābiq)
Belarusian: былы́ (bylý), бы́ўшы (býŭšy)
Bengali: সাবেক (bn) (śabek), প্রাক্তন (bn) (prakton), ভূতপূর্ব (bn) (bhutopurbo), পূর্বতন (bn) (purboton)
Bulgarian: бивш (bg) (bivš), ми́нал (bg) (mínal), преди́шен (bg) (predíšen)
Catalan: anterior (ca), previ
Chinese:
Mandarin: 前 (zh) (qián)
Czech: bývalý (cs)
Danish: tidligere (da), forhenværende
Dutch: voormalig (nl), gewezen (nl)
Esperanto: antaŭa
Faroese: fyrrverandi
Finnish: edeltävä (fi), edellinen (fi), entinen (fi)
French: précédent (fr), ancien (fr)
Galician: anterior (gl)
Georgian: წინანდელი (c̣inandeli), უწინდელი (uc̣indeli)
German: ehemalig (de), vorig (de), früher (de), vorherig (de), vormalig (de), alt (de)
Greek: πρώην (el) (próin)
Ancient: πρότερος (próteros)
Higaonon: daan
Hungarian: előző (hu), előbbi (hu), korábbi (hu), egykori (hu), hajdani (hu)
Indonesian: mantan (id)
Italian: precedente (it), anteriore (it), ex (it)
Japanese: 前 (ja) (まえ, mae)
Khmer: អតីត (km) (ʼaʼdət)
Korean: 전의 (ko) (jeon-ui)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: پێشوو (pêşû), بەرتر (bertir)
Latin: anterior, quondam
Macedonian: претходен (prethoden), бивш (bivš)
Malay: bekas (ms), mantan
Maori: o mua
Norwegian:
Bokmål: forhenværende (no), tidligere (no)

Nynorsk: førverande, tidlegare
Occitan: anterior (oc)
Pashto: پخوانی (ps) (pëxwânay)
Persian: سابق (fa) (sâbeq), قدیم (fa) (qadim), اسبق (fa) (asbaq)
Polish: były (pl)
Portuguese: anterior (pt), ex- (pt)
Russian: бы́вший (ru) (bývšij), пре́жний (ru) (préžnij), предыду́щий (ru) (predydúščij) (previous)
Scots: umwhile
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: пре́тходан, би̑вшӣ

Roman: préthodan (sh), bȋvšī (sh)
Slovak: bývalý
Slovene: prejšnji, bivši
Spanish: anterior (es), antiguo (es)
Swedish: före detta (sv), forna (sv), förra (sv)
Tajik: пешина (pešina)
Telugu: ముందరి (te) (mundari), మునుపటి (te) (munupaṭi)
Thai: เก่า (th) (gào), ก่อน (th) (gɔ̀ɔn), อดีต (th) (à-dìit)
Turkish: önce (tr), önceki (tr), eski (tr)
Ukrainian: коли́шній (uk) (kolýšnij)
Vietnamese: cũ (vi), xưa (vi), nguyên (vi) (when modifying a social or political position)

first of aforementioned two items

Belarusian: пе́ршы (be) (pjéršy)
Bulgarian: преди́шен (bg) (predíšen), пръв (bg) (prǎv)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 前者 (zh) (qiánzhě)
Dutch: deze (nl), eerstgenoemde (nl)
Finnish: ensimmäinen (fi)
French: premier (fr), celui-là (fr)
German: ersterer (de) m, erstere (de) f, ersteres (de) n
Hungarian: előbbi (hu)
Indonesian: terdahulu (id)
Italian: primo (it) m
Japanese: 前者 (ja) (ぜんしゃ, zensha)
Korean: 전자(前者) (ko) (jeonja)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: førstnevnt
Persian: اولی (fa) (avvali)
Polish: pierwszy (pl) (z dwóch)
Portuguese: primeiro (pt), aquele (pt) m
Russian: пе́рвый (ru) (pérvyj)
Slovene: prvi (sl)
Spanish: primero (es) m, primera (es) f, aquello (es), aquella (es)
Swedish: föregående (sv)
Thai: ก่อนหน้า
Turkish: ilk (tr)
Ukrainian: пе́рший (uk) (péršyj)
Vietnamese: trước (vi)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle English formere. By surface analysis, form +‎ -er.

Noun

former (plural formers)

Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder.
Dave was the former of the company.
An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die.
The brick arch was built using a wooden former.
(chiefly British, used in combinations) Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).
Fifth-former.

Sixth-former.

Derived terms

Anagrams

Reform, re-form, reform

Danish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

IPA^(key):

Noun

former c

indefinite plural of form

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

IPA^(key):

Verb

former

present of forme

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

IPA^(key):

Verb

former or formér

imperative of formere

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French, borrowed from Latin fōrmāre (“to form”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /fɔʁ.me/
Audio (file)

Verb

former

to form (generic sense)
to shape (to make into a certain shape)
to train; to educate

Conjugation

Conjugation of former (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	compound	avoir + past participle
infinitive	simple	former
present participle or gerund¹	simple	formant /fɔʁ.mɑ̃/
present participle or gerund¹	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		formé /fɔʁ.me/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	forme /fɔʁm/	formes /fɔʁm/	forme /fɔʁm/	formons /fɔʁ.mɔ̃/	formez /fɔʁ.me/	forment /fɔʁm/
	imperfect	formais /fɔʁ.mɛ/	formais /fɔʁ.mɛ/	formait /fɔʁ.mɛ/	formions /fɔʁ.mjɔ̃/	formiez /fɔʁ.mje/	formaient /fɔʁ.mɛ/
	past historic²	formai /fɔʁ.me/	formas /fɔʁ.ma/	forma /fɔʁ.ma/	formâmes /fɔʁ.mam/	formâtes /fɔʁ.mat/	formèrent /fɔʁ.mɛʁ/
	future	formerai /fɔʁ.mə.ʁe/	formeras /fɔʁ.mə.ʁa/	formera /fɔʁ.mə.ʁa/	formerons /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɔ̃/	formerez /fɔʁ.mə.ʁe/	formeront /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	formerais /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɛ/	formerais /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɛ/	formerait /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɛ/	formerions /fɔʁ.mə.ʁjɔ̃/	formeriez /fɔʁ.mə.ʁje/	formeraient /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior²	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	forme /fɔʁm/	formes /fɔʁm/	forme /fɔʁm/	formions /fɔʁ.mjɔ̃/	formiez /fɔʁ.mje/	forment /fɔʁm/
(simple tenses)	imperfect²	formasse /fɔʁ.mas/	formasses /fɔʁ.mas/	formât /fɔʁ.ma/	formassions /fɔʁ.ma.sjɔ̃/	formassiez /fɔʁ.ma.sje/	formassent /fɔʁ.mas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
(compound tenses)	pluperfect²	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	~~nous~~	~~vous~~	–
simple		—	forme /fɔʁm/	—	formons /fɔʁ.mɔ̃/	formez /fɔʁ.me/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
¹ The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
² In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris , Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).