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==English==

===Pronunciation===
* {{IPA|en|/ˈfɔɹmɚ/|a=GA}}
* {{IPA|en|/ˈfɔːmə/|a=RP}}
* {{audio|en|en-us-former.ogg|a=US}}
* {{rhymes|en|ɔː(ɹ)mə(ɹ)|s=2}}

===Etymology 1===
{{inh+|en|enm|former}}, comparative of {{m|enm|forme||first}}, from {{inh|en|ang|forma||first}}, descended from {{inh|en|gem-pro|*frumô}}. Parallel to {{m|en|prior}} (via Latin), as comparative form from same Proto-Indo-European root. Related to {{m|en|first}} and {{m|en|fore}} (thence {{m|en|before}}), from Proto-Germanic.

====Adjective====
{{en-adj|-}}

# [[previous|Previous]].
#: {{syn|en|erstwhile|sometime|whilom|wont-to-be|Thesaurus:former}}
#: {{ant|en|next|Thesaurus:subsequent}}
#: {{ux|en|A '''former''' president}}
#: {{ux|en|the '''former''' East Germany}}
#* {{RQ:Besant Ivory Gate|III
|passage=At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors.{{...}}In '''former''' days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.}}
#* {{quote-book|en|year=2007|author=Junius P. Rodriguez|title=Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World|passage=The '''former'''-slaves-turned-abolitionists Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and Olaudah Equiano were the chief organizers of the Sons of Africa.}}
# {{senseid|en|first of aforementioned two items}} [[first|First]] of aforementioned two items. Used with {{m|en|the}}, often without a noun.
#: {{ant|en|latter}}
#: {{ux|en|The '''former''' is a good idea but the latter is not.}}
#: {{ux|en|We have two cars, a red one and a blue one. We won the '''former''' on a game show.}}
#: {{ux|en|Bananas are tastier than parsnips, but the latter’s nutritional value is higher than the '''former'''’s.}}

=====Alternative forms=====
* {{alt|en|fmr|fmr.||abbreviations}}

=====Derived terms=====
{{der2|en|former Soviet Union| former times|former USSR|former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia}}

=====Translations=====
{{trans-top|previous}}
* Arabic: {{t|ar|سَابِق}}
* Belarusian: {{t|be|былы́}}, {{t|be|бы́ўшы}}
* Bengali: {{t+|bn|সাবেক}}, {{t+|bn|প্রাক্তন}}, {{t+|bn|ভূতপূর্ব}}, {{t+|bn|পূর্বতন}}
* Bulgarian: {{t+|bg|бивш}}, {{t+|bg|ми́нал}}, {{t+|bg|преди́шен}}
* Catalan: {{t+|ca|anterior}}, {{t|ca|previ}}
* Chinese:
*: Mandarin: {{t+|cmn|前|tr=qián}}
* Czech: {{t+|cs|bývalý}}
* Danish: {{t+|da|tidligere}}, {{t|da|forhenværende}}
* Dutch: {{t+|nl|voormalig}}, {{t+|nl|gewezen}}
* Esperanto: {{t|eo|antaŭa}}
* Faroese: {{t|fo|fyrrverandi}}
* Finnish: {{t+|fi|edeltävä}}, {{t+|fi|edellinen}}, {{t+|fi|entinen}}
* French: {{t+|fr|précédent}}, {{t+|fr|ancien}}
* Galician: {{t+|gl|anterior}}
* Georgian: {{t|ka|წინანდელი}}, {{t|ka|უწინდელი}}
* German: {{t+|de|ehemalig}}, {{t+|de|vorig}}, {{t+|de|früher}}, {{t+|de|vorherig}}, {{t+|de|vormalig}}, {{t+|de|alt}}
* Greek: {{t+|el|πρώην}}
*: Ancient: {{t|grc|πρότερος}}
* Higaonon: {{t|mba|daan}}
* Hungarian: {{t+|hu|előző}}, {{t+|hu|előbbi}}, {{t+|hu|korábbi}}, {{t+|hu|egykori}}, {{t+|hu|hajdani}}
* Indonesian: {{t+|id|mantan}}
* Italian: {{t+|it|precedente}}, {{t+|it|anteriore}}, {{t+|it|ex}}
* Japanese: {{t+|ja|前|tr=まえ, mae}}
* Khmer: {{t+|km|អតីត}}
* Korean: {{t+|ko|전|alt=전-의}}
* Kurdish:
*: Central Kurdish: {{t|ckb|پێشوو}}, {{t|ckb|بەرتر}}
* Latin: {{t|la|anterior}}, {{t|la|quondam}}
* Macedonian: {{t|mk|претходен}}, {{t|mk|бивш}}
* Malay: {{t+|ms|bekas}}, {{t|ms|mantan}}
* Manchu: {{t|mnc|ᠨᡝᠨᡝᡥᡝ}}, {{t|mnc|ᠨᡝᠨᡝᠮᡝ}}
* Maori: {{t|mi|o mua}}
* Norwegian:
*: Bokmål: {{t+|nb|forhenværende}}, {{t+|nb|tidligere}}
*: Nynorsk: {{t|nn|førverande}}, {{t|nn|tidlegare}}
* Occitan: {{t+|oc|anterior}}
* Pashto: {{t+|ps|پخوانی|tr=pëxwânay}}
* Persian: {{t+|fa|سابق|tr=sâbeq}}, {{t+|fa|قدیم|tr=qadim}}, {{t+|fa|اسبق|tr=asbaq}}
* Polish: {{t+|pl|były}}
* Portuguese: {{t+|pt|anterior}}, {{t+|pt|ex-}}
* Russian: {{t+|ru|бы́вший}}, {{t+|ru|пре́жний}}, {{t+|ru|предыду́щий}} {{q|previous}}
* Scots: {{t|sco|umwhile}}
* Serbo-Croatian:
*: Cyrillic: {{t|sh|пре́тходан}}, {{t|sh|би̑вшӣ}}
*: Roman: {{t+|sh|préthodan}}, {{t+|sh|bȋvšī}}
* Slovak: {{t|sk|bývalý}}
* Slovene: {{t|sl|prejšnji}}, {{t|sl|bivši}}
* Spanish: {{t+|es|anterior}}, {{t+|es|antiguo}}
* Swedish: {{t+|sv|före detta}}, {{t+|sv|forna}}, {{t+|sv|förra}}
* Tajik: {{t|tg|пешина}}
* Telugu: {{t+|te|ముందరి}}, {{t+|te|మునుపటి}}
* Thai: {{t+|th|เก่า}}, {{t+|th|ก่อน}}, {{t+|th|อดีต}}
* Turkish: {{t+|tr|önce}}, {{t+|tr|önceki}}, {{t+|tr|eski}}
* Ukrainian: {{t+|uk|коли́шній}}
* Vietnamese: {{t+|vi|cũ}}, {{t+|vi|xưa}}, {{t+|vi|nguyên}} {{qualifier|when modifying a social or political position}}
{{trans-bottom}}

{{trans-top|first of aforementioned two items}}
* Belarusian: {{t+|be|пе́ршы}}
* Bulgarian: {{t+|bg|преди́шен}}, {{t+|bg|пръв}}
* Chinese:
*: Mandarin: {{t+|cmn|前者|tr=qiánzhě}}
* Dutch: {{t+|nl|deze}}, {{t+|nl|eerstgenoemde}}
* Finnish: {{t+|fi|ensimmäinen}}
* French: {{t+|fr|premier}}, {{t+|fr|celui-là}}
* German: {{t+|de|ersterer|m}}, {{t+|de|erstere|f}}, {{t+|de|ersteres|n}}
* Hungarian: {{t+|hu|előbbi}}
* Indonesian: {{t+|id|terdahulu}}
* Italian: {{t+|it|primo|m}}
* Japanese: {{t+|ja|前者|tr=ぜんしゃ, zensha}}
* Korean: {{t+|ko|전자(前者)}}
* Norwegian:
*: Bokmål: {{t|nb|førstnevnt}}
* Persian: {{t+|fa|اولی|tr=avvali}}
* Polish: {{t+|pl|pierwszy}} (z dwóch)
* Portuguese: {{t+|pt|primeiro}}, {{t+|pt|aquele|m}}
* Russian: {{t+|ru|пе́рвый}}
* Slovene: {{t+|sl|prvi}}
* Spanish: {{t+|es|primero|m}}, {{t+|es|primera|f}}, {{t+|es|aquello}}, {{t+|es|aquella}}
* Swedish: {{t+|sv|föregående}}
* Thai: {{t|th|ก่อนหน้า}}
* Turkish: {{t+|tr|ilk}}
* Ukrainian: {{t+|uk|пе́рший}}
* Vietnamese: {{t+|vi|trước}}
{{trans-bottom}}

=====See also=====
* [[ex-]]

===Etymology 2===
{{inh+|en|enm|formere}}. {{surf|en|form|-er|id2=agent noun}}.

====Noun====
{{en-noun}}

# Someone who [[form]]s something; a [[maker]]; a [[creator]] or [[founder]].
#: {{ux|en|Dave was the '''former''' of the company.}}
# An object used to [[form]] something, such as a [[template]], [[gauge]], or [[cut]]ting [[die]].
#: {{ux|en|The brick arch was built using a wooden '''former'''.}}
# {{lb|en|chiefly|British|used in combinations}} Someone in, or of, a certain [[form]] (class).
#: {{ux|en|Fifth-'''former'''.}}
#: {{ux|en|Sixth-'''former'''.}}

=====Derived terms=====
{{der2|en|pan former|opinion former|sixth-former|T-former|t-former}}

===Anagrams===
* {{anagrams|en|a=efmorr|Reform|re-form|reform}}

==Danish==

===Etymology 1===

====Pronunciation====
{{IPA|da|[ˈfɒːmɐ]}}

====Noun====
{{head|da|noun form|g=c}}

# {{infl of|da|form||indef|p}}

===Etymology 2===

====Pronunciation====
{{IPA|da|[ˈfɒːmɐ]}}

====Verb====
{{head|da|verb form}}

# {{infl of|da|forme||pres}}

===Etymology 3===

====Pronunciation====
{{IPA|da|[fʌˈmeɐ̯ˀ]}}

====Verb====
{{head|da|verb form|head2=formér}}

# {{infl of|da|formere||imp}}

==French==

===Etymology===
{{inh+|fr|fro|-}}, borrowed from {{der|fr|la|fōrmō|fōrmāre|t=to form}}.

===Pronunciation===
* {{fr-IPA}}
* {{audio|fr|Fr-former.ogg}}

===Verb===
{{fr-verb}}

# to [[form]] {{gloss|generic sense}}
# to [[shape]] {{gloss|to make into a certain shape}}
# to [[train]]; to [[educate]]

====Conjugation====
{{fr-conj-auto}}

====Related terms====
* {{l|fr|formation}}
* {{l|fr|forme}}

===Further reading===
* {{R:fr:TLFi}}

==Latin==

===Verb===
{{head|la|verb form|head=fōrmer}}

# {{inflection of|la|fōrmō||1|s|pres|pasv|subj}}

==Norwegian Bokmål==

===Noun===
{{head|nb|noun form|g=m|g2=f}}

# {{inflection of|nb|form||indefinite|p}}

===Verb===
{{head|nb|verb form}}

# {{infl of|nb|forme||pres}}

==Norwegian Nynorsk==

===Noun===
{{head|nn|noun form|g=f}}

# {{inflection of|nn|form||indefinite|p}}

==Swedish==

===Noun===
{{head|sv|noun form}}

# {{noun form of|sv|form||indef|p}}

===Anagrams===
* {{anagrams|sv|a=efmorr|reform}}