| former | |
| 1. adj. Previous. | |
| A former president; the former East Germany | |
| 2. adj. First of aforementioned two items. Used with the, often without a noun. | |
| The former is a good idea but the latter is not. | |
| I drive two vehicles, a Chevy Camaro and an AMC Gremlin. I won the former on a game show. | |
| 3. n. Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder. | |
| Dave was the former of the company. | |
| 4. n. An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die. | |
| The brick arch was built using a wooden former. | |
| 5. n. (chiefly British, used in combinations) Someone in, or of, a certain form (class). | |
| Fifth-former. | |
| Sixth-former. | |
