formerly

adverb

for·​mer·​ly ˈfȯr-mər-lē How to pronounce formerly (audio)
ˈfȯr-mə-
1
: at an earlier time : previously
2
obsolete : just before

Examples of formerly in a Sentence

He was formerly a congressman. the newspaper formerly known as “The Newsprint”
Recent Examples on the Web In a video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), Travis, 34, could be seen speaking with fans courtside and Jason, 36, was on a phone call before the mascot approached them with two beers. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 At one point, his primary account on X, formerly known as Twitter, was shut down, further limiting his reach. Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The studio was formerly owned by Fox, which licensed Last Man to ABC before Disney acquired the studio. Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 No one was shopping at malls, going to bars after work, or attending conferences at expensive event centers; and that left numerous formerly money-printing properties empty and struggling. Will Daniel, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 Meta spokesman Andy Stone addressed the issue in a post on X, formerly called Twitter, at 7:52 a.m. Tuesday. Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 Lucid is majority owned by the same Saudi sovereign fund that Musk tried to sell Tesla to — the same fund that still holds a considerable stake in Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter. Steve Dasilva / Jalopnik, Quartz, 23 Feb. 2024 The 2024 pop-up served nonalcoholic beverages along with shareable bites from Notre Ferme, a catering company run by sober chef Allyson Harvie, formerly the chef de cuisine at The Kitchen. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 23 Feb. 2024 In an article from technology magazine Wired, data from the company formerly known as ShotSpotter shows numerous detectors concentrated solely on the east side of Indianapolis – starting directly east of downtown. Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'formerly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of formerly was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near formerly

Cite this Entry

“Formerly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formerly. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

formerly

adverb
for·​mer·​ly ˈfȯr-mər-lē How to pronounce formerly (audio)
: at an earlier time : previously

More from Merriam-Webster on formerly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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