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
Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter.
—
Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Ahead of the law's passage, proponents said the changes to SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, would reduce waste and provide accountability.
—Lorie Konish, CNBC, 30 May 2026
She was replaced by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, himself formerly a Republican senator from Oklahoma, whose confirmation took a remarkably quick 18 days.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2026
The California attorney general filed a lawsuit Thursday against the company formerly known as 23andMe, accusing the genetic testing service of failing to protect customers’ data during a 2023 breach.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for formerly
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Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Ahead of the law's passage, proponents said the changes to SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, would reduce waste and provide accountability.
—Lorie Konish, CNBC, 30 May 2026
She was replaced by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, himself formerly a Republican senator from Oklahoma, whose confirmation took a remarkably quick 18 days.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2026
The California attorney general filed a lawsuit Thursday against the company formerly known as 23andMe, accusing the genetic testing service of failing to protect customers’ data during a 2023 breach.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 May 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 2 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
formerly
adverb
for·mer·ly
ˈfȯr-mər-lē
: at an earlier time : previously
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