former
- noun
- /ˈfɔrmər/
- The United States is capable of achieving the former, but not the latter.
- the former, the latter
- the former is more
- the former refers to
The latter could change with time, the former, the vacuum energy cannot.
- The latter could change with time, the former, the vacuum energy cannot.
- The former is yellow cards, the latter is the red cards.
- And given the choice between acceptability and honesty, most of us usually would choose the former.
Examples
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And she is still in connection, according to one of my sources, with a former wife of Donald Trump in prison.
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Of course, the former, not the latter.
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Some friends, some clients, former clients, I guess I should say, some just people who were friends.
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I learned from former students who are French that the French call French net just net.
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The former is yellow cards, the latter is the red cards.
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I have a quote from The Walking crime spree himself, former President Donald Trump.
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I brought in a expert on China and the Russia Ukraine war, a former CIA operative.
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Michael Sussman is a former partner at the law firm Perkins Coie.
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They are very rare narratives of emancipation written by former slaves after the war.
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The former mayor of the town is now running for governor.
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
A person or thing that is much weaker and less impressive than before
Compounds
- NSFW
A Rwandan rebel group that fought to overthrow the Tutsi government and restore Hutu rule
Surface Forms
Etymology
Former as a noun names the 'first' of two things, from the same old idea of being 'first'. So the noun former tells you which one came earlier when two people or things are compared.