formerly
adverb
for·mer·ly
ˈfȯr-mər-lē 
ˈfȯr-mə-
1
: at an earlier time : previously
Istanbul was formerly known as Constantinople.
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
Service along the Monon Corridor (formerly known as the West Lake Corridor), between Hammond and Dyer, would begin after a ribbon-cutting.
—
Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
The site, which was formerly used to intern Japanese Americans during the Second World War, has become a hub of harrowing reports of inhumane conditions, including a case involving a detainee who a witness reported was choked to death by guards.
—Garrett M. Graff, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
Event organizers included Jewish Federation Los Angeles, Jewish California (formerly known as the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, or JPAC), Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area and the Skirball Cultural Center.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
Pennsylvania senators praise decision to strike Iran Democratic Senator John Fetterman took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the operation.
—Patrick Damp, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for formerly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
The site, which was formerly used to intern Japanese Americans during the Second World War, has become a hub of harrowing reports of inhumane conditions, including a case involving a detainee who a witness reported was choked to death by guards.
—Garrett M. Graff, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
Event organizers included Jewish Federation Los Angeles, Jewish California (formerly known as the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, or JPAC), Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area and the Skirball Cultural Center.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
Pennsylvania senators praise decision to strike Iran Democratic Senator John Fetterman took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the operation.
—Patrick Damp, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for formerly
Cite this Entry
“Formerly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formerly. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
formerly
adverb
for·mer·ly
ˈfȯr-mər-lē
: at an earlier time : previously
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
