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FORM
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance
Example:
geometry is the mathematical science of shape
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
attribute (an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "form"):
solid (a three-dimensional shape)
plane; sheet ((mathematics) an unbounded two-dimensional shape)
natural shape (a shape created by natural forces; not man-made)
flair; flare (a shape that spreads outward)
figure (a combination of points and lines and planes that form a visible palpable shape)
line (a length (straight or curved) without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point)
angular shape; angularity (a shape having one or more sharp angles)
round shape (a shape that is curved and without sharp angles)
distorted shape; distortion (a shape resulting from distortion)
amorphous shape (an ill-defined or arbitrary shape)
connection; connexion; link (a connecting shape)
circle (something approximating the shape of a circle)
square (something approximating the shape of a square)
triangle (something approximating the shape of a triangle)
column; pillar; tower (anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower)
plume (anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A mold for setting concrete
Example:
they built elaborate forms for pouring the foundation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
cast; mold; mould (container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens)
Derivation:
form (give shape or form to)
form (make something, usually for a specific function)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A life-size dummy used to display clothes
Synonyms:
form; manakin; manikin; mannequin; mannikin
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
dummy (a figure representing the human form)
Sense 4
Meaning:
The visual appearance of something or someone
Example:
the delicate cast of his features
Synonyms:
cast; form; shape
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
appearance; visual aspect (outward or visible aspect of a person or thing)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A particular mode in which something is manifested
Example:
his resentment took the form of extreme hostility
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
fashion; manner; mode; style; way (how something is done or how it happens)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
Example:
he could barely make out their shapes
Synonyms:
configuration; conformation; contour; form; shape
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
spatial property; spatiality (any property relating to or occupying space)
Attribute:
straight (having no deviations)
crooked (having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "form"):
keenness; sharpness (thinness of edge or fineness of point)
bluntness; dullness (without sharpness or clearness of edge or point)
topography (the configuration of a surface and the relations among its man-made and natural features)
lobularity (the property of having lobules)
concaveness; concavity (the property possessed by a concave shape)
convexity; convexness (the property possessed by a convex shape)
angularity (the property possessed by a shape that has angles)
narrowing (an instance of becoming narrow)
curvature; curve (the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface)
roundness (the property possessed by a line or surface that is curved and not angular)
straightness (freedom from crooks or curves or bends or angles)
crookedness (having or distinguished by crooks or curves or bends or angles)
stratification (a layered configuration)
Sense 7
Meaning:
An ability to perform well
Example:
the team was off form last night
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
ability (the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Alternative names for the body of a human being
Example:
the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
Synonyms:
anatomy; bod; build; chassis; figure; flesh; form; frame; human body; material body; physical body; physique; shape; soma
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
body; organic structure (the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "form"):
person (a human body (usually including the clothing))
juvenile body (the body of a young person)
adult body (the body of an adult human being)
male body (the body of a male human being)
female body (the body of a female human being)
Holonyms ("form" is a part of...):
individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)
homo; human; human being; man (any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage)
Sense 9
Meaning:
A category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
Example:
what kinds of desserts are there?
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
category (a general concept that marks divisions or coordinations in a conceptual scheme)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "form"):
description (sort or variety)
type (a subdivision of a particular kind of thing)
antitype (an opposite or contrasting type)
art form ((architecture) a form of artistic expression (such as writing or painting or architecture))
style (a particular kind (as to appearance))
flavor; flavour ((physics) the six kinds of quarks)
color; colour ((physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction)
species (a specific kind of something)
genus (a general kind of something)
brand; make (a recognizable kind)
genre (a kind of literary or artistic work)
manner (a kind)
model (a type of product)
stripe (a kind or category)
like; the like; the likes of (a similar kind)
Sense 10
Meaning:
A perceptual structure
Example:
a visual pattern must include not only objects but the spaces between them
Synonyms:
form; pattern; shape
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
structure (the complex composition of knowledge as elements and their combinations)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "form"):
fractal ((mathematics) a geometric pattern that is repeated at every scale and so cannot be represented by classical geometry)
gestalt (a configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts)
grid (a pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines)
kaleidoscope (a complex pattern of constantly changing colors and shapes)
mosaic (a pattern resembling a mosaic)
strand (a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole)
Holonyms ("form" is a part of...):
percept; perception; perceptual experience (the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept)
Derivation:
form (give shape or form to)
Sense 11
Meaning:
The phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
Example:
the inflected forms of a word can be represented by a stem and a list of inflections to be attached
Synonyms:
descriptor; form; signifier; word form
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
word (a unit of language that native speakers can identify)
Domain category:
linguistics (the scientific study of language)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "form"):
plural; plural form (the form of a word that is used to denote more than one)
singular; singular form (the form of a word that is used to denote a singleton)
ghost word (a word form that has entered the language through the perpetuation of an error)
base; radical; root; root word; stem; theme ((linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed)
etymon; root (a simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes)
citation form; entry word; main entry word (the form of a word that heads a lexical entry and is alphabetized in a dictionary)
abbreviation (a shortened form of a word or phrase)
acronym; initialism (a word formed from the initial letters of the several words in the name and pronounced as one word)
Sense 12
Meaning:
A printed document with spaces in which to write
Example:
he filled out his tax form
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
document; papers; written document (writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature))
Meronyms (parts of "form"):
blank space; place; space (a blank area)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "form"):
application form (a form to use when making an application)
claim form (a form to use when filing a claim)
order form (a form to use when placing an order)
questionnaire (a form containing a set of questions; submitted to people to gain statistical information)
requisition; requisition form (an official form on which a request in made)
tax form (a form to use when paying your taxes)
telegraph form (a form to use when sending a telegram)
Sense 13
Meaning:
An arrangement of the elements in a composition or discourse
Example:
he first sketches the plot in outline form
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
genre; literary genre; writing style (a style of expressing yourself in writing)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "form"):
versification (the form or metrical composition of a poem)
Derivation:
form (to compose or represent)
Sense 14
Meaning:
(biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
Example:
a new strain of microorganisms
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
taxon; taxonomic category; taxonomic group (animal or plant group having natural relations)
Domain category:
biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)
Holonyms ("form" is a member of...):
species ((biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed)
Sense 15
Meaning:
A body of students who are taught together
Example:
early morning classes are always sleepy
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
assemblage; gathering (a group of persons together in one place)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "form"):
master class (a class (especially in music) given to talented students by an expert)
discussion section; section (a small class of students who are part of a larger course but are taught separately)
Sense 16
Meaning:
(physical chemistry) a distinct state of matter in a system; matter that is identical in chemical composition and physical state and separated from other material by the phase boundary
Example:
the reaction occurs in the liquid phase of the system
Synonyms:
form; phase
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("form" is a kind of...):
state; state of matter ((chemistry) the three traditional states of matter are solids (fixed shape and volume) and liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container) and gases (filling the container))
Domain category:
physical chemistry (the branch of chemistry dealing with the physical properties of chemical substances)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "form"):
dispersed particles; dispersed phase ((of colloids) a substance in the colloidal state)
dispersing medium; dispersing phase; dispersion medium ((of colloids) a substance in which another is colloidally dispersed)
II. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they form ... he / she / it forms
Past simple: formed
Past participle: formed
-ing form: forming
Sense 1
Meaning:
Give shape or form to
Example:
form the young child's character
Synonyms:
form; shape
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "form" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "form"):
individuate (give individual shape or form to)
tie (form a knot or bow in)
terrace (make into terraces as for cultivation)
fork (shape like a fork)
tabulate (shape or cut with a flat surface)
dimension (shape or form to required dimensions)
roll (shape by rolling)
draw (flatten, stretch, or mold metal or glass, by rolling or by pulling it through a die or by stretching)
strike (cause to form (an electric arc) between electrodes of an arc lamp)
crystalise; crystalize; crystallise; crystallize (cause to take on a definite and clear shape)
twist (form into twists)
sliver (form into slivers)
ridge (form into a ridge)
plume (form a plume)
round; round off; round out (make round)
scallop; scollop (shape or cut in scallops)
square; square up (make square)
dish (make concave; shape like a dish)
fit (make fit)
flatten (make flat or flatter)
deform; distort; strain (alter the shape of (something) by stress)
blow (shape by blowing)
block (shape into a block or blocks)
block (shape by using a block)
cup (form into the shape of a cup)
circle; encircle (form or draw a circle around)
turn (shape by rotating on a lathe or cutting device or a wheel)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
form (a mold for setting concrete)
form (a perceptual structure)
formation (the act of fabricating something in a particular shape)
formation (a particular spatial arrangement)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Assume a form or shape
Example:
the water formed little beads
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "form" is one way to...):
change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "form"):
constellate (form a constellation or cluster)
culminate (rise to, or form, a summit)
grain; granulate (form into grains)
conglobate; conglobe (assume a globular shape)
bunch; bundle; clump; cluster (gather or cause to gather into a cluster)
brecciate (form into breccia)
reticulate (divide so as to form a network)
flake (form into flakes)
head (form a head or come or grow to a head)
bead (form into beads, as of water or sweat, for example)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 3
Meaning:
Make something, usually for a specific function
Example:
Work the metal into a sword
Synonyms:
forge; form; mold; mould; shape; work
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Hypernyms (to "form" is one way to...):
create from raw material; create from raw stuff (make from scratch)
Verb group:
process; work; work on (shape, form, or improve a material)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "form"):
carve (form by carving)
swage; upset (form metals with a swage)
chip (form by chipping)
layer (make or form a layer)
cut out (form and create by cutting out)
machine (turn, shape, mold, or otherwise finish by machinery)
grind (shape or form by grinding)
stamp (form or cut out with a mold, form, or die)
puddle (subject to puddling or form by puddling)
beat (shape by beating)
preform (form or shape beforehand or determine the shape of beforehand)
preform (form into a shape resembling the final, desired one)
mound (form into a rounded elevation)
hill (form into a hill)
roughcast (shape roughly)
remold; reshape (shape again or shape differently)
sinter (cause (ores or powdery metals) to become a coherent mass by heating without melting)
cast; mold; mould (form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold)
throw (make on a potter's wheel)
coil; hand-build; handbuild (make without a potter's wheel)
sculpt; sculpture (create by shaping stone or wood or any other hard material)
model; mold; mould (form in clay, wax, etc)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP
Derivation:
formation (a particular spatial arrangement)
formation (the act of fabricating something in a particular shape)
formation (the act of forming or establishing something)
form (a mold for setting concrete)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Establish or impress firmly in the mind
Example:
We imprint our ideas onto our children
Synonyms:
form; imprint
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Hypernyms (to "form" is one way to...):
act upon; influence; work (have and exert influence or effect)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something on somebody
Derivation:
formative (forming or capable of forming or molding or fashioning)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Create (as an entity)
Example:
They formed a company
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Hypernyms (to "form" is one way to...):
create; make (make or cause to be or to become)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "form"):
regroup; reorganise; reorganize (organize anew, as after a setback)
choose up (form sides, as for a game)
draw up (form or arrange in order or formation, as of a body of soldiers)
regiment (form (military personnel) into a regiment)
syndicate (organize into or form a syndicate)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Derivation:
formation (the act of forming or establishing something)
formation (an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit)
Sense 6
Meaning:
To compose or represent
Example:
This makes a fine introduction
Synonyms:
constitute; form; make
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Hypernyms (to "form" is one way to...):
be; comprise; constitute; make up; represent (form or compose)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "form"):
chelate (form a chelate, in chemistry)
add (constitute an addition)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Derivation:
form (an arrangement of the elements in a composition or discourse)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Develop into a distinctive entity
Example:
our plans began to take shape
Synonyms:
form; spring; take form; take shape
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Hypernyms (to "form" is one way to...):
become (come into existence)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "form"):
regenerate (be formed or shaped anew)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
formation (creation by mental activity)
Context examples:
I am very much obliged to anybody who assists me, and I only want to be consulted as a mere form, sometimes.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Until it sets to-night, that monster must retain whatever form he now has.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
I formed in my imagination a thousand pictures of presenting myself to them, and their reception of me.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
A moment later the tall and portly form of Mycroft Holmes was ushered into the room.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The anhydrous form of mercaptopurine, a thiopurine-derivative antimetabolite with antineoplastic and immunosuppressive activities.
(Mercaptopurine Anhydrous, NCI Thesaurus)
A WHO grade I meningioma characterized by the presence of tumor cells that form lobules.
(Meningothelial Meningioma, NCI Thesaurus)
A type of slow-growing tumor that forms in the meninges (thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord).
(Meningioma, NCI Dictionary)
A hydrochloride salt form of memotine, an isoquinoline with activity against myxoviruses and paramyxoviruses.
(Memotine Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)
The nervous system is sensitive to all forms of mercury.
(Mercury, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry)
In traditional Chinese medicine, one of 20 channels that form a network through which qi (the body's vital energy) flows and that connect the body’s acupuncture sites.
(Meridian, NCI Dictionary)
