formerly

for·mer·ly | \ ˈfȯr-mər-lē

How to pronounce formerly (audio)

, ˈfȯr-mə- \

Definition of formerly

1 : at an earlier time : previously

2 obsolete : just before

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about formerly

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of formerly in a Sentence

He was formerly a congressman. the newspaper formerly known as “The Newsprint”

Recent Examples on the Web With permission, the school employee calls one of three local mental health agencies: Centerstone Louisville, The Brook Hospitals or Peace Hospital, formerly known as Our Lady of Peace. — courier-journal.com, "JCPS is pulling hundreds of kids from class for psych evaluations and threatening parents," 25 Mar. 2020 Police descended on the Queen City Lounge, formerly called Golden Nugget Lounge, at 2196 Queen City Ave. just after noon on Monday to close it down. — Chris Mayhew, Cincinnati.com, "Police: South Fairmount business boarded up for violating COVID-19 order on gatherings," 17 Mar. 2020 Parasite became the first South Korean film to win best international film (formerly called best foreign-language film). — Paul Grein, Billboard, "'Parasite' & Other Record-Setters at the 2020 Oscars," 10 Feb. 2020 The discussions were on her Facebook group — Residents of VVL (formerly called Val Vista Lakes Neighborhood) — as well as another community Facebook group and the Nextdoor app. — Alison Steinbach, azcentral, "Gilbert HOA retracts plan to fine residents over social media posts. Here's the latest," 31 Jan. 2020 Along with the Tuesday Company, other key startups based on this premise include OutreachCircle (formerly called VoterCircle) and Outvote. — Gilad Edelman, Wired, "The Next Campaign Text You Get May Be From a Friend," 22 Jan. 2020 Her name first surfaced in 1979 during Black History Month, formerly called Negro History Month. — al, "Claudette Colvin, the pregnant teen who fought Alabama bus segregation before Rosa Parks," 16 Jan. 2020 Another case against Myanmar, formerly called Burma, is working its way through another international court. — Marlise Simons, New York Times, "Aung San Suu Kyi Defends Myanmar Against Rohingya Genocide Accusations," 11 Dec. 2019 The second dessert, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Milk Bar Pie, is a twist on the bakery’s signature Milk Bar Pie (formerly called Crack Pie before undergoing a name change in April). — Morgan Raum, PEOPLE.com, "Milk Bar Is Selling Cookies That Taste Like Cinnamon Toast Crunch," 11 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'formerly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about formerly

Dictionary Entries near formerly

Statistics for formerly

Last Updated

29 Mar 2020

Cite this Entry

“Formerly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formerly. Accessed 1 Apr. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

loon

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

March 2020 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is a synonym of rectitudinous?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.