former
(adjective, noun)
LISTEN
His former girlfriend moved out.
Former means ‘having been in the past.’
- Eric's former boss is now working for another company.
- Thomas's former school is hosting his class reunion.
Former also means ‘being the first of two mentioned.’ (The second is the latter).
- The former choice was better than the latter.
Common uses
a shell of his/her former self: someone who has changed for the worse, usually because of a traumatic experience. Example: “After the war, Scarlett was a shell of her former self.”
Did you know?
Ex– is a more casual way to say former. For example: “Dan’s ex-wife is the mother of his oldest daughter.” And when referring to a former spouse or partner, someone may just say ex. For example: “Oh no! There’s my ex. We need to leave immediately.”
In pop culture
The five former presidents of the US spoke at a charity concert to help victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. You can hear Bill Clinton and Barack Obama speak in this video.
There are other meanings of former.
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