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adjective · B1 · often · UK/US

former

former

Meaning of former

having been something before now

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B1often

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Pronunciation
British English/ˈfɔːmə/
American English/ˈfɔːrmɚ/
Russian transcription[ˈbɨfʂɨj]
former
former - бывший
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former with Russian translation

former usage examples

🇷🇺Russian🇬🇧English

Мой бывший учитель теперь живёт за границей.

My former teacher now lives abroad.

🇷🇺Russian🇬🇧English

Я до сих пор помню своего бывшего тренера.

I still remember my former coach.

Learn by topic

former belongs to the topic "Top 1000". Start with a short 7-word set so the word is easier to remember in context.

formerбывший
choppedрубленый
cookedприготовленный
frozenзамороженный
rawсырой
saltyсолёный
slicedнарезанный ломтиками

former synonyms

Related word breakdowns

What's the difference between former / past / ex / previous / preceding / prior

🇬🇧English
former

the direct basic word meaning ‘having been something before now’

A1Very Often

He is a former teacher.

Он бывший учитель.

🇬🇧English

more general; often means ‘earlier in time’ rather than specifically ‘former’ before a noun

A1Very Often

In the past, she lived abroad.

Раньше она жила за границей.

🇬🇧English

used mostly for a former partner, spouse, or job in informal speech

A1Often

Her ex-husband lives in London.

Её бывший муж живёт в Лондоне.

🇬🇧English

means ‘before this one’ in a sequence; less about ‘former identity’

A1Very Often

Please read the previous page.

Пожалуйста, прочитайте предыдущую страницу.

P
🇬🇧English
preceding

more formal; often used for something directly before another in order or text

A1Rarely

See the preceding paragraph.

См. предыдущий абзац.

🇬🇧English

formal; often used in phrases like ‘prior to’ or ‘prior experience’

A1Often

He had prior experience in sales.

У него был предыдущий опыт в продажах.

E
🇬🇧English
earlier

usually means ‘at an earlier time’; more about time than about being ‘former’

A1Very Often

We met earlier this year.

Мы встретились раньше в этом году.

🇬🇧English

used for someone who has died, not for ‘former’ in general

A1Often

The late Mr. Brown was a famous writer.

Покойный мистер Браун был известным писателем.

E
🇬🇧English
ex-

a prefix meaning ‘former’; used before nouns like ex-wife, ex-president

A1Often

She is an ex-manager of the company.

Она бывший менеджер компании.

What's the difference

Related words and lists for former

How to pronounce former and what this word means

former translation: бывший. This page includes translation, pronunciation, transcription, audio, usage examples and related words.

how to pronounce former

/ˈfɔːmə/

former translation

бывший

former examples

My former teacher now lives abroad.

former transcription

/ˈfɔːmə/, /ˈfɔːrmɚ/

How this dictionary entry is reviewed

ZapomniEnglish prepares dictionary data automatically, then the editorial workflow checks high-frequency words, top lists, and pages that already receive search impressions first.

Translation and meaningPronunciation and transcriptionExamples, synonyms, and topics

Questions about this word

former meaning: what does it mean?

having been something before now

former pronunciation: how do you pronounce it?

former is pronounced as /ˈfɔːmə/. Audio is available on this page when the word has a recording.

former definition and sentence examples: how is it used in a sentence?

My former teacher now lives abroad. Translation: Мой бывший учитель теперь живёт за границей.

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