Entry Word: form

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 the outward appearance of something as distinguished from its substance <carved the block of wood into the form of a duck>

Synonyms cast, configuration, conformation, figure, geometry, shape

Related Words contour, outline, profile, silhouette; framework, skeleton, situation; arrangement, layout, organization, pattern, plan, setup

Near Antonyms composition, material, matter, stuff, substance

2 a piece of paper with information written or to be written on it <I filled out all the forms for applying to the school>

Synonyms blank, document, paper

Related Words instrument, writ

3 personal conduct or behavior as evaluated by an accepted standard of appropriateness for a social or professional setting <it's bad form to throw a tantrum on the court when you lose a tennis match> — see manner 1
4 a state of being or fitness <after a long season off, the football team is back in good form> — see condition 1
5 a three-dimensional representation of the human body used especially for displaying clothes <put the dress on the form to finish pinning it together> — see mannequin 1
6 an oft-repeated action or series of actions performed in accordance with tradition or a set of rules <we'll use the second form in our church missals for todayʼs Lenten service> — see rite
7 socially acceptable behavior <displayed good form throughout the formal dinner> — see decency 1
8 the means or procedure for doing something <there are established forms for voting on motions and amendments at meetings> — see method
9 the type of body that a person has <has the big-boned form of a linebacker> — see physique
10 the way in which the elements of something (as a work of art) are arranged <liked the asymmetrical form of the mobile> — see composition 3