formerly
adverb
for·mer·ly
ˈfȯr-mər-lē 
ˈfȯr-mə-
1
: at an earlier time : previously
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 Kuomintang, or KMT, also known as the Nationalist Party of China, is the party formerly led by Chiang Kai-shek that ruled the entirety of the Republic of China before Mao Zedong’s communist military forced it to flee to Taiwan.
—
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
DeMelo was attended to on the field before being taken to a nearby hospital, the National Women’s Soccer League confirmed in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
In a second phase, twin towers linked by a dramatic skywalk will rise on a parcel formerly occupied by a strip shopping center.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Under Elon Musk's ownership, the social platform X—formerly known as Twitter—has faced scrutiny for amplifying right-wing content and its lax content moderation policies.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for formerly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
DeMelo was attended to on the field before being taken to a nearby hospital, the National Women’s Soccer League confirmed in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
In a second phase, twin towers linked by a dramatic skywalk will rise on a parcel formerly occupied by a strip shopping center.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Under Elon Musk's ownership, the social platform X—formerly known as Twitter—has faced scrutiny for amplifying right-wing content and its lax content moderation policies.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for formerly
Cite this Entry
“Formerly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formerly. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
formerly
adverb
for·mer·ly
ˈfȯr-mər-lē
: at an earlier time : previously
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share