a set form of words, as for stating or declaring something definitely or authoritatively, for indicating procedure to be followed, or for prescribed use on some ceremonial occasion.
any fixed or conventional method for doing something: His mystery stories were written according to a popular formula.
Mathematics.
a rule or principle, frequently expressed in algebraic symbols.
such a symbolic expression.
Chemistry. an expression of the constituents of a compound by symbols and figures.Compare empirical formula, molecular formula, structural formula.
a recipe or prescription: a new formula for currant wine.
a special nutritive mixture, especially of milk, sugar, and water, in prescribed proportions for feeding a baby.
a formal statement of religious doctrine.
(initial capital letter) a set of specifications as to weight, engine displacement, fuel capacity, etc., for defining a class of racing cars (usually followed by a limiting numerical designation): Some races are open to Formula One cars.
Origin of formula
1575–85; <Latin: register, form, rule. See form, -ule
Words nearby formula
formol, Formosa, Formosa Strait, Formosus, form stop, formula, formulaic, Formula One, formularize, formulary, formulate
Anytime that’s the case, we can turn to the quadratic formula.
Can You Cover The Globe?|Zach Wissner-Gross|August 28, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The program will figure out whether there’s a way of assigning days to the babysitters that makes the formula true, or “satisfiable,” meaning you get the three days you want.
Computer Scientists Attempt to Corner the Collatz Conjecture|Kevin Hartnett|August 26, 2020|Quanta Magazine
There are lots of ways of assigning 1s and 0s to this simple formula — or building the guest list — and it’s possible that after running through them the computer will conclude it’s not possible to satisfy all the competing demands.
Computer Search Settles 90-Year-Old Math Problem|Kevin Hartnett|August 19, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Ostrander and her colleagues published their new formula online July 2 in Cell Systems.
To figure out your dog’s ‘real’ age, you’ll need a calculator|Bethany Brookshire|August 12, 2020|Science News For Students
Decoding the impact of rank changes into clicks and conversions can look like a simple formula for a customer at first.
How to craft a winning SEO proposal and avoid getting a silent ‘No’|Sponsored Content: SEOmonitor|August 3, 2020|Search Engine Land
Indeed, Lion Air, with 45 percent of the domestic Indonesian airline market, has swallowed the Fernandes formula whole.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I'm just not sure that the formula continues to work for us at 50 given other uses we might have for that money.
The formula of most of their programs has Drew doing the house hunting and Jonathan doing the design and construction.
How the Property Brothers Became Your Mom’s Favorite TV Stars|Kevin Fallon|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The European formula for Fireball has even less: under one gram per kilogram of propylene glycol.
Europeans Recall Fireball Whiskey Over a Sweetener Also Used in Antifreeze|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When we devised the formula we use to determine poverty in the United States, it was 1964.
The U.S. Is Losing a Generation to Poverty|Monica Potts|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you find the formula, Madge, I want you to fix me up a solution for the kitchen pump!
The Missing Formula|Mildred A. Wirt, AKA Ann Wirt
If ever he had a formula he had lost it; he was no longer in his own secret, if ever he had been.
Imaginary Interviews|W. D. Howells
Hugo's formula is now fallen out of mode, yet his plays have accomplished their threescore years and ten.
Inquiries and Opinions|Brander Matthews
That formula was usual: Je supplie Dieu et de vous donner bonne vie, et longue, et a moy leur de votre bonne grasse.
The Mystery of Mary Stuart|Andrew Lang
In preparing stock solutions, label the bottles and write the formula with direction for use on the label.
Harper's Round Table, August 20, 1895|Various
British Dictionary definitions for formula
formula
/ (ˈfɔːmjʊlə) /
nounplural-lasor-lae (-ˌliː)
an established form or set of words, as used in religious ceremonies, legal proceedings, etc
mathsphysicsa general relationship, principle, or rule stated, often as an equation, in the form of symbols
chema representation of molecules, radicals, ions, etc, expressed in the symbols of the atoms of their constituent elementsSee molecular formula, empirical formula, structural formula
a method, pattern, or rule for doing or producing something, often one proved to be successful
(as modifier)formula fiction
a prescription for making up a medicine, baby's food, etc
a substance prepared according to such a prescription
motor racingthe specific category in which a particular type of car competes, judged according to engine size, weight, and fuel capacity
A set of symbols showing the composition of a chemical compound. A formula lists the elements contained within it and indicates the number of atoms of each element with a subscript numeral if the number is more than 1. For example, H2O is the formula for water, where H2 indicates two atoms of hydrogen and O indicates one atom of oxygen.
A set of symbols expressing a mathematical rule or principle. For example, the formula for the area of a rectangle is a = lw, where a is the area, l the length, and w the width.