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
Included in the batch were records concerning some of Epstein's famous associates, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Britain's Prince Andrew, as well as email correspondence between Epstein and Elon Musk and other prominent contacts from across the political spectrum.
—
Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
Included in the batch were records concerning some of Epstein’s famous associates, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Britain’s Prince Andrew, as well as email correspondence between Epstein and Elon Musk and other prominent contacts from across the political spectrum.
—Eric Tucker, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
The indictments came after a magistrate judge rejected prosecutors’ initial bid to charge independent journalist Don Lemon, formerly of CNN.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2026
The Kennedy cousin formerly at the center of the notorious case involving the death of Martha Moxley, the daughter of an affluent Connecticut family, has broken his silence to reveal new loose ends and theories regarding the decades-long mystery.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for formerly
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Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
Included in the batch were records concerning some of Epstein’s famous associates, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Britain’s Prince Andrew, as well as email correspondence between Epstein and Elon Musk and other prominent contacts from across the political spectrum.
—Eric Tucker, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
The indictments came after a magistrate judge rejected prosecutors’ initial bid to charge independent journalist Don Lemon, formerly of CNN.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2026
The Kennedy cousin formerly at the center of the notorious case involving the death of Martha Moxley, the daughter of an affluent Connecticut family, has broken his silence to reveal new loose ends and theories regarding the decades-long mystery.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 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 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
formerly
adverb
for·mer·ly
ˈfȯr-mər-lē
: at an earlier time : previously
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