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

Synonyms of formerly

• once

Examples of formerly in a Sentence

He was formerly a congressman.

the newspaper formerly known as “The Newsprint”

Recent Examples on the Web

Back in 2022, Jelly Roll celebrated Bailee Ann beginning high school by sharing a photo of the pair to X, formerly known as Twitter. —Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025

Meanwhile, Fox News defied the post-election downward trend seen by MS Now (formerly MSNBC) and CNN. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 29 Dec. 2025

This policy change has forced businesses to prepay new tariff rates and complete complex customs forms for millions of shipments that were formerly exempt. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Dec. 2025

The Mohegan Tribe purchased the Sun in 2003 and successfully moved the team, formerly known as the Orlando Miracle, from Florida to Connecticut that year. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 29 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

formerly

adverb

for·​mer·​ly ˈfȯr-mər-lē 

: at an earlier time : previously