pro forma

adjective

pro for·ma (ˌ)prō-ˈfȯr-mə

: made or carried out in a perfunctory manner or as a formality

: based on financial assumptions or projections: such as

: reflecting a transaction (such as a merger) or other development as if it had been or will be in effect for a past or future period

a pro forma balance sheet

: excluding usually extraordinary charges or expenses (as from acquisitions, restructuring, or the write-down of goodwill) often in order to present a more attractive financial report

pro forma income

Did you know?

A lot of things are done for the sake of appearances. A teacher might get officially observed and evaluated every three years, even though everyone knows she's terrific and the whole thing is strictly pro forma. A critic might say that an orchestral conductor gave a pro forma performance, since his heart wasn't in it. A business owner might make a pro forma appearance at the funeral of a politician's mother, never having met her but maybe hoping for a favor from her son sometime in the future. In business, pro forma has some special meanings; a pro forma invoice, for example, will list all the items being sent but, unlike a true invoice, won't be an actual bill.

Example Sentences

The meeting was strictly pro forma, since the decision had already been made.

Recent Examples on the Web Even his daddy issues feel like a pro forma personality trait. —

Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2023 On February 14 and 15, 2023, a Rotterdam court, the District Court of The Hague, held the first pro forma hearings against twelve women that the Dutch government brought back from a prison camp in Syria in November 2022. —

Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023 Senior officials issued pro forma messages of condolence after receiving news of his death, but some of them masked bitter feelings. —

Pamela Constable, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2023 Like many Congressional mothers and fathers, Mr. Gomez brought his family to Washington for his swearing-in ceremony, which typically would have followed a pro forma vote for the House Speaker. —

Marc Tracy, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2023 The fracture within the Ohio House Republican supermajority spilled over onto the chamber floor for the first time on Tuesday as members took what is typically a pro forma vote on House rules. —

cleveland, 25 Jan. 2023 The merger with the special purpose acquisition company implies a pro forma enterprise value of about $456 million for the business, according to a statement, which confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report. —

Mureji Fatunde, Bloomberg.com, 13 Oct. 2022 Senators will meet for a pro forma session at 11:30 a.m. EST, then the first session will convene at noon EST or 11:00 a.m. CST. —

Sarah Swetlik | Sswetlik@al.com, al, 3 Jan. 2023 That’s the next time the House, which is on break for the holidays, is scheduled to meet for a routine pro forma session. —

Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pro forma.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.