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

Military tech firms like Palantir, Space-X, and Anduril are giving old guard corporate behemoths like Lockheed Martin and RTX ( formerly known as Raytheon) a run for their money, applying new technology and new business models to weapons development. —William Hartung, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026

The set’s new London hangouts include basement club The Rex Rooms, formerly 151, on the King’s Road, London’s Sloane highway. —Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 May 2026

Tom, the formerly homeless veteran who recently surrendered his dog at a Fort Worth fire station, received the title to his RV on Friday afternoon. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2026

So Michelle and a cohort of moms founded Let California Kids Hear a decade ago, and formerly little Marie, now 15, became a key spokesperson for the group, addressing numerous legislative committee hearings in Sacramento, becoming a frequent flyer on Southwest. —Larry Wilson, Oc Register, 23 May 2026

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