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
The funding — formerly known as earmarks — was tucked into spending packages that Congress passed in both November and February to fund most of the government through September.
—
Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 13 Feb. 2026
That led to Chiefs and Patriots fans bonding on X (formerly Twitter) about their dislike of Bills Mafia.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
The history of King Drive King Drive, formerly Third Street, has been a bustling commercial district since the mid-1800s.
—Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Follow her on Bluesky @katiewiseman and X, formerly Twitter, at @itskatiewiseman.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for formerly
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Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 13 Feb. 2026
That led to Chiefs and Patriots fans bonding on X (formerly Twitter) about their dislike of Bills Mafia.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
The history of King Drive King Drive, formerly Third Street, has been a bustling commercial district since the mid-1800s.
—Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Follow her on Bluesky @katiewiseman and X, formerly Twitter, at @itskatiewiseman.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 13 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 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
formerly
adverb
for·mer·ly
ˈfȯr-mər-lē
: at an earlier time : previously
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