form meaning

Noun: form  form

1. The phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
   "the inflected forms of a word can be represented by a stem and a list of inflections to be attached"
   -

Verb: form  form

1. Create (as an entity)
   "social groups form everywhere"; "They formed a company"
   - organize, organise [Brit] 
2. To compose or represent
   "This wall forms the background of the stage setting"
   - constitute, make 
3. Develop into a distinctive entity
   - take form, take shape, spring 
4. Give shape or form to
   "form the young child's character"
   - shape 
5. Make something, usually for a specific function
   "Form cylinders from the dough"
   - shape, work, mold [N. Amer], mould [Brit, Cdn], forge 
6. Establish or impress firmly in the mind
   - imprint 
7. Assume a form or shape
   "the water formed little beads"

Combining form: -form

1. (forming an adjective) having the form of, similar to
   - -like

Derived forms: forming, formed, forms

See also: crooked, formation, formative, straight

Type of: ability, act upon, alter, appearance, assemblage, attribute, be, become, body, cast, category, change, comprise, constitute, create, create from raw material, create from raw stuff, document, dummy, fashion, gathering, genre, influence, literary genre, make, make up, manner, mode, modify, mold [N. Amer], mould [Brit, Cdn], organic structure, papers, physical structure, represent, spatial property, spatiality, state, state of matter, structure, style, taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group, visual aspect, way, word, work, writing style, written document

Part of: homo, human, human being, individual, man, mortal, percept, perception, perceptual experience, person, somebody, someone, soul, species

Encyclopedia: Form Form, fit and function

[British slang]
Noun. 1. A bench. An expression from the north-west/north of England, becoming less frequently used.
2. A criminal record. {Informal}

[Architecture]

Temporary boarding, sheeting, or pans of plywood, molded fiberglass, etc.; used to give desired shape to poured concrete, or the like.

form for a concrete column

[Business]
AmE / noun, verb

■ noun [C]

APPLICATION FORM, CLAIM FORM, I-9 FORM, ORDER FORM, SUBSTANCE OVER FORM, TAX FORM

an official paper or electronic document containing questions and spaces for answers or information:

Use form 8E if you are renewing your passport.

You can submit your form by email.

There is an online form for your suggestions.

⇨ DUE

❖ to complete/fill in/fill out/sign a form

◆ to file/return/submit a form

◆ a booking/an entry/a registration/reservation form

■ verb [+ obj or no obj]

to start a group of people, such as an organization, a committee, etc.; to come together in a group of this kind:

The group was formed from the merger of two engineering firms.

They have formed an alliance with a British bank.

a newly formed company

The partnership formed in 1996. See note at FOUND

[Law]
1. The model of an instrument or legal proceeding, containing the substance and the principal terms to be used in accordance with the laws.

2. The act of pursuing, in legal proceedings and in the construction of legal instruments, the order required by law. Form is usually put in contradistinction to substance.

The difference between matters of form and substance is, that if the matter pleaded is in itself insufficient, without reference to the manner of pleading it, the defect is substantial; but if the fault is in the manner of alleging it, the defect is formal. For example, the omission of a consideration in a contrac,t or of the performance of a condition precedent, when such condition exists, or of knowledge in the defendant in action for malicious prosecution, etc., are all defects in substance. On the other hand, duplicity; a negative pregnant; argumentative pleading; omission of a day, when time is immaterial; of a place, in transitory actions, and the like, are only faults in form.

At the same time that fastidious objections against trifling errors of form arising from mere clerical mistakes are not encouraged or sanctioned by the courts, it has been justly observed that "infinite mischief has been produced by the facility of the courts in overlooking matters of form; it encourages carelessness and places ignorance too much upon a footing with knowledge amongst those who practice the drawing of pleadings."
   

[Medicine]
n
1
a : the shape and structure of something as distinguished from its material
b : a body (as of a person) esp. in its external appearance or as distinguished from the face
2 : a distinguishable group of organisms —used esp. to avoid taxonomic implications
vt : to give a particular shape to : shape or mold into a certain state or after a particular model ‹form the paste into lozenges and roll them in sugar›
¦ vi : to become formed or shaped ‹a clot formed over the cut›

[Computer]
<mathematics, tool> A system written by Jos Vermaseren large-scale symbolic mathematics problems. FORM is a descendant of Schoonschip and is available for many personal computers and workstations.



Mailing list:

Examples

More:   Next

1. these cells eventually form spermatozoa.
2. all other forms of food had disappeared.
3. venerable oaks forms a sylvan archway.
4. they will react with ammonia to form amidines.
5. energy manifests itself in many ways or forms.