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to form

to form

510 1.0
To create a group or organization
  • verb
  • /fɔrm/
: formar
  • She's forming a committee to sell war bonds all over the country.
  • form a group
  • form an organization
  • newly formed

Why is it that we form a city state?

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Examples

  • And in that spirit, we're forming a committee of parents... to take over where the kids left off.

  • At this stage, they have formed a group, but not yet a true community.

    Academic text (2008)
  • But the key here is to form a plan and to stick to it.

  • Do you want to form an alliance with me?

  • In 1833, the Boston Academy of Music was formed with fifteen hundred students.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Both of our traditions, however, form us to live in joyful confidence and certainty of hope.

    Academic text (2011)
  • We form a corporation.

  • The students decided to form a study group to help each other with the exam preparation.

  • After much discussion, the board voted to form a new committee focused on sustainability.

  • He plans to form a partnership with local businesses to promote tourism in the area.

Synonyms

to create
vsto form
∞ 1.0

To make something new that does not exist yet

is mainly about bringing organizations or groups into existence, not everything
to establish
vsto form
692 4.1

To start something that is meant to last

is general bringing into existence and does not stress duration
to originate
vsto form
146 3.8

To start or create something

is an act to bring an entity into existence rather than merely starting
to organize
vsto form
  • US
57 2.3

Help people form a group to act together for a common goal

focuses on creating things or entities rather than arranging people
to found
vsto form
16 3.9

Create something like a company, school, or town

is broader, meaning to bring many kinds of things into existence
to constitute
vsto form
  • Formal
14 4.8

To officially set up a group, committee, or system

is the general act of bringing something into existence without official steps

Antonyms

43 4.3

To stop being a group, for example a band or committee

36 3.9

To slowly disappear or become less clear

Idioms

true to form
  • Informal
10 4.1

Happening or acting in the usual way as before

Get back to a previous good level of ability after a time of decline

in rare form
  • Informal
4 7.6

Doing something much better than usual with extra energy

It is not true or possible in any way

Phrasal Verbs

64 3.5

To begin to develop and become clear in shape or idea

To become a different shape or look

To complete a paper or online form by writing your personal details

Make small round pockets of air inside or on a liquid

8.7

In rugby, gather closely over a tackled player to protect and try to get the ball

Compounds

143 2.8

A plant, an animal, or a tiny organism

59 3.2

A particular type of art, like music, painting, or dance

tax form
  • Formal
16 2.8

An official paper you use to tell the government how much money you earn and owe in tax

A document with questions to fill in when you apply for a job or a course

9 4.9

Polite behavior people expect in social situations

7 3.2

A letter sent to many people with the same text

6 2.0

A printed or online page you fill to ask for goods and services

5 4.1

An official paper you use to ask for supplies or services from an organization

free form
  • Specialized
4 6.5

A small part of language that can be a whole word

claim form
  • Formal
4 2.9

A document you fill in to ask for money back from an insurance company

1 1.6

A change in a word that shows more than one person or thing

A way of speaking used when you talk to someone to show their title or relationship

singular form
  • Specialized
1 1.8

The form of a word used for one person or thing

verse form
  • Literature
1 7.0

A type of poem with a set number of lines and rhythm like a sonnet or haiku

life form
  • Specialized
1 3.4

The physical shape and parts of a plant or animal

form family
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A temporary group scientists use for plants or animals when it is not clear how they are related

sonata form
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A musical pattern with three main parts used at the start of many symphonies and sonatas

form book
  • Jargon
1 6.7

A record of past results and details about competitors that helps people decide bets

combining form
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A small word part from Greek or Latin that appears only inside longer words

imperative form
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A verb form used to give a command or request

word form
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A written or spoken version of a word showing its grammar and sound

telegraph form
  • Archaic
1 8.2

A printed form you use to write a telegram

form genus
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A temporary group for living things, often fossils, whose relations to others are unclear

1 5.6

The shape of a plant leaf that helps identify species

citation form
  • Texting
1 7.5

The basic form of a word that a dictionary lists

bound form
  • Specialized
9.6

A small part added to a word that cannot stand alone, like -s in cats and -ed in walked

A pan that holds batter or dough while it bakes

form class
  • Specialized
6.9

A group of words that do the same job in grammar, like a noun or verb

form division
  • Archaic
9.9

An old artificial group that scientists used to sort plants

9.9

A group name for fungi seen only in their non-sexual stage, often causing plant disease

5.3

A work that does not follow fixed rules or structure

major form class
  • Specialized
7.7

A main group of words like nouns, verbs, and adjectives that show a word's role in a sentence

plural form
  • Specialized
3.7

One translation used for different numbers, like one or many

How Official

to incorporate
  • Formal
30 5.1
to establish
692 4.1
to found
16 3.9
to form
510 1.0
to set up
873 3.4

Surface Forms

form infinitive
formed past
formed past participle
forming present participle
forms third person singular

Etymology

Form comes from the Latin formare 'to shape', and to form a group or club is to create and give it a shape or structure, which is why we use the word for making organizations.