Theformationof something is the starting or creation of it.
...the formation of a new government. [+ of]
Synonyms: establishment, founding, forming, setting up More Synonyms of formation
2. uncountable noun
Theformationof an idea, habit, relationship, or character is the process of developing and establishing it.
My profession had an important influence in the formation of my character and temperament. [+ of]
Synonyms: development, shaping, constitution, evolution More Synonyms of formation
3. countable noun [usually inNOUN]
If people or things are information, they are arranged in a particular pattern as they move.
He was flying in formation with seven other jets.
The dancers step into a formation which represents the human being.
Synonyms: arrangement, grouping, figure, design More Synonyms of formation
4. countable noun [noun NOUN]
A rock or cloud formation is rock or cloud of a particular shape or structure.
...a vast rock formation shaped like a pillar.
Enormous cloud formations formed a purple mass.
formation in British English
(fɔːˈmeɪʃən)
noun
1.
the act of giving or taking form, shape, or existence
2.
something that is formed
3.
the manner in which something is formed or arranged
4.
a.
a formal arrangement of a number of persons or things acting as a unit, such as a troop of soldiers, aircraft in flight, or a football team
b.
(as modifier)
formation dancing
5. geology
a.
the fundamental lithostratigraphic unit
b.
a series of rocks with certain characteristics in common
6. ecology
a community of plants, such as a tropical rainforest, extending over a very large area
Derived forms
formational (forˈmational)
adjective
formation in American English
(fɔrˈmeɪʃən)
noun
1.
a forming or being formed
2.
a thing formed
3.
the way in which something is formed or arranged; structure
4.
an arrangement or positioning, as of troops, ships, airplanes in flight, football players, etc.
5. Ecology
the major unit of vegetation usually extending over a large area, as the prairie, deciduous forest, tundra, etc.
see also biome
6. Geology
a rock unit distinguished from adjacent deposits by some common character, as composition, origin, type of fossil, etc.
Word origin
ME formacioun < OFr formation < L formatio < pp. of formare: see form
formation in the Oil and Gas Industry
(fɔrmeɪʃən)
Word forms: (regular plural) formations
noun
(Extractive engineering: Petroleum geology)
A formation is an area of rock that is of one type and is distinctive and continuous enough to be mapped.
Hydrochloric acid is pumped into the well under high pressure to reopen and enlargethe pores in the oil-bearing limestone formations.
A fault trap is a geological formation in which oil or gas in a porous section of rock is sealed off by a displaced, nonporouslayer.
A formation is an area of rock that is of one type and is distinctive and continuous enough tobe mapped.
formation fluid, formation packer
Examples of 'formation' in a sentence
formation
Some studies have suggested that intermittent fasting is linked to the formation of new brain cells.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Changing the team formation to a 3-4-3 suits him.
The Sun (2016)
On the formation lap the team is no longer able to instruct the driver on the clutch position and what they need to change.
The Sun (2016)
Officials said he hit his head swimming close to a cove near the beach, which is surrounded with rock formations and popular with cliff jumpers.
The Sun (2016)
Another said that it would'one day be in a museum respectfully regarded as the first formation of a new art '.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There come to be two stages rather than just one in the formation of a government.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
The process blocks the formation of ozone.
Radford, Tim & Leggett, Jeremy The Crisis of Life on Earth - our legacy from the second millenium (1990)
His choices of team and formation seem to owe more to speculation than method.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Home life and education are accepted as being pivotal factors in the formation of character.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
These are known to promote cloud formation and the hope was that they could also produce rain.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
ENGLAND'S top appearance makers all slot into the perfect team formation!
The Sun (2009)
The cloud formation rolls backwards as it surges forward at speed.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Coaches have tried new formations with varying results.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But his lack of experience told with constant changes in his teams and formations.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Summer is the season for the most mysterious cloud formations.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He was appointed to the independent body given the task of providing scientific ballast to the formation of government policy.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Australia do not expect any sort of new formation from a team so familiar and comfortable with such cautious rugby.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We learnt about rock formations and beetles, fern fronds and fossils.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Their ideas were also very much in the process of formation, and similarities couldbe deceiving.
Higonnet, Anne Berthe Morisot (1990)
Such teachings completely transformed our little fellowship, especially in terms of substantive character formation.
Christianity Today (2000)
The gas is stored in rock formations 2,700 metres beneath the seabed.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In such a time the religious forces which express themselves through such channels are the decisive influences in the formation of national character.
Greeley, Andrew M. Sociology and Religion: A Collection of Readings (1995)
She records visiting volcanoes, rock formations and coves as though she were writing a school geography project.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
More organised units grouped in formations, driving in pick-up trucks to their positions or waiting for the call to move.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Once that point was reached, it was not the court's proper role to intervene in the process of policy formation.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Before the government 's formation there were serious concerns that Britain would not be able to fund its deficit and of a run on the currency.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
formation
British English: formation NOUN
The formation of something is the starting or creation of it.
Time is running out for the formation of a new government.
American English: formation
Brazilian Portuguese: formação
Chinese: 始创
European Spanish: formación
French: formation
German: Bildung
Italian: formazione
Japanese: 編成
Korean: 형성
European Portuguese: formação
Latin American Spanish: formación
All related terms of 'formation'
I formation
an offensive formation with the tailback behind the fullback and the fullback behind the quarterback
T formation
an offensive formation with the quarterback behind the center , the fullback behind the quarterback, and a halfback at each side of the fullback
back formation
the invention of a new word on the assumption that a familiar word is derived from it. The verbs edit and burgle were so created from editor and burglar
formation dance
any dance in which a number of couples form a certain arrangement , such as two facing lines or a circle , and perform a series of figures within or based on that arrangement
formation fluid
Formation fluid is fluid in the pores (= tiny holes) of a rock.
formation rules
the set of rules that specify the syntax of a formal system; the algorithm that generates the well-formed formulae
rock formation
rock that is arranged or formed in a certain way
word formation
the formation of words, for example by adding prefixes or suffixes to roots
capital formation
the net additions to a capital stock in an accounting period
flight formation
two or more aircraft flying together in a set pattern
formation flying
a formal arrangement of flying aircraft acting as a unit
formation packer
A formation packer is a substance that is used as a seal between the casing and the borehole so that part of the hole can be tested.
reaction formation
a defence mechanism by which a person at a conscious level condemns a repressed wish
heat of formation
the heat evolved or absorbed when one mole of a compound is formed from its constituent atoms
double wingback formation
an offensive formation in which two backs line up at opposite ends of the backfield about one yard outside of the ends and about one yard behind the line of scrimmage
single wingback formation
an offensive formation in which the wingback lines up outside of and about one yard behind an end, the quarterback lines up lateral to the wingback but about midway between the same end and the center , the fullback is three or four yards behind the middle of the line, and the tailback lines up one yard behind the fullback on the other side of the line from the wingback and quarterback
shotgun
A shotgun is a gun used for shooting birds and animals which fires a lot of small metal balls at one time.
re-form
When an organization , group, or shape re-forms , or when someone re-forms it, it is created again after a period during which it did not exist or existed in a different form.