/ˈfɔ:mə(r) ||; ˈfɔrmɚ/adj (only before a noun 只用于名词前) of an earlier time; belonging to the past 前些时候的；以前的: Ronald Reagan, the former American President 前任美国总统罗讷德˙里根In former times people often had larger families. 以往的家庭往往比现在的大。