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Glite Dictionary
📄 Layout or structure 📝 To arrange layout 💾 To prepare storage
to format

to format

5 4.8
To prepare a disk for use by erasing its data
  • verb
  • /ˈfɔːrmæt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : formatear
  • You don't want to format over cards that have important footage on them.

Examples

  • Delete the partition, make a new one, format it, and reinstall Windows.

    Blog text (31)

  • I'm going to format your disk, orient it to receive the data.

    Assassins (1995)

  • Let me know if this works; if it does not, you may need to format your SD card.

    Blog text (29)

  • We're going to select the drive we want to format, head over to partition.

  • I'm going to format your disc, orient it to receive the data.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Hit "Apply," which will then format (and erase) the USB thumb drive.

    Blog text (2)

  • Plug in the USB drive; format it to HFS+ Journaled with Disk Utility 3.

    Blog text (27)

  • Before you use the USB drive, make sure to format it so that it can store files properly.

  • To ensure the hard drive works correctly, you should format it before installing the operating system.

  • When a new storage device is added, the first step is to format it for optimal performance.

Synonyms

to initialize
vsto format
  • Specialized
1 6.6

To prepare a disk or drive for use by erasing old files and making it ready to store data

is the general term with the same meaning used beyond computing

Compounds

data format
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A way of arranging information so computers can store and use it

How Thorough

to wipe
  • Specialized
308 3.6
to shred
112 2.6
to overwrite
  • Specialized
5 5.3
to sanitize
  • Specialized
2 4.7
to format
  • Specialized
5 4.8
to delete
287 2.0

Surface Forms

format infinitive
formatted past
formatted past participle
formatting present participle
formats third person singular

Etymology

To format a disk comes from the same Latin forma ('shape') and the English word form, with the idea of 'giving a shape'. So when you format a disk you give it a structure or 'shape' so the computer can store files there.