formulate

verb for·mu·late \ ˈfȯr-myə-ˌlāt \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Examples: formulate in a Sentence

Definition of formulate

formulated; formulating

transitive verb

1 a : to reduce to or express in a formula

formulate the area of a rectangle

b : to put into a systematized statement or expression

formulate long-term goals

c : devise

formulate a policy

formulate a plan

2 a : to develop a formula for the preparation of (something, such as a soap or plastic)

a plastic specially formulated to resist high temperatures

b : to prepare according to a formula

formulate the vaccine against malaria

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formulator

play \ˈfȯr-myə-ˌlā-tər\ noun

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Examples of formulate in a Sentence

a plastic specially formulated to resist high temperatures
the doctor was trying to formulate a good way to tell her that she would need surgery

Recent Examples of formulate from the Web

With this new data in hand, Nagihara and his colleagues were able to formulate a theory.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Astronauts’ Footprints May Have Warmed the Moon," 14 June 2018
But at some level, government needs to formulate and then implement, via regulation and economic incentives, a coherent national energy strategy that will stand the test of time.

— WSJ, "Government Is Bad at Picking Energy Winners," 13 June 2018
The Heat currently lack the needed salary-cap space to sign James as a free agent, which would otherwise mean attempting to formulate a trade with the Cavaliers.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "LeBron reflects on 2010 decision to join Heat as he mulls future (and possible Heat return?)," 9 June 2018
Over the past year, Sekulow and his lawyers have done the bulk of the document review and legal analysis of case law to help formulate Trump’s defense, said a person familiar with the legal team.

— Fortune, "'His Client Is a Circus Master and Rudy Is Dancing.' Mueller's Investigating Team Don't Take Giuliani Seriously," 8 June 2018
His drawings of brains helped formulate modern neuroscience.

— BostonGlobe.com, "The Ticket: What’s happening in the local arts world," 25 May 2018
Besides dealing with the financial aftershocks of the attacks, Clarida also helped formulate the Bush administration's response to the Enron Corp. and WorldCom Inc. accounting scandals.

— bloomberg, latimes.com, "Trump to nominate Pimco's Richard Clarida as Federal Reserve vice chair," 16 Apr. 2018
Even so, Sekulow’s staff has been doing much of the legwork behind the scenes in researching case law and helping formulate a defense, said a person familiar with the legal team.

— shannon pettypiece, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Legal Team Departure Opens Gaps in Mueller Probe Defense," 4 Apr. 2018
Gribbin spent much of 2017 helping to formulate Trump’s infrastructure initiative, which was formally released in February after months of delays.

— NBC News, "Trump's top infrastructure aide is departing White House," 4 Apr. 2018

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