formula

1. 1.

   a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement

   Synonymsexpression

   Broadermathematical statement

   Narrowersentential functionprimitiveexponential expression

   mathematics

2. 2.

   directions for making something

   Synonymsrecipe

   Broaderdirection
3. 3.

   a conventionalized statement expressing some fundamental principle

   Broaderstatement
4. 4.

   a representation of a substance using symbols for its constituent elements

   Synonymschemical formula

   Broaderstatement

   Narrowermolecular formulaempirical formula

   Partschemical notation
5. 5.

   something regarded as a normative example

   “the convention of not naming the main character”

   “violence is the rule not the exception”

   “his formula for impressing visitors”

   Synonymsconventionnormalpatternrule

   Broaderpractice

   Narrowermorescode of conductuniversal
6. 6.

   a liquid food for infants

   Broadermilk
7. 7.

   (mathematics) a standard procedure for solving a class of mathematical problems

   “he determined the upper bound with Descartes' rule of signs”

   “he gave us a general formula for attacking polynomials”

   Synonymsrule

   Broaderprocedure

   Narrowermetarulealgorithmheuristicrecursion

   mathematics

Other forms of formula

plural

formulae

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about formula

What does formula mean?

formula means "a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement". That is the primary sense; the word has 7 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in formula?

formula has 3 syllables: for-mu-la. The stress falls on "for". In IPA it is /ˈfɔɹmjələ/.

What is another word for formula?

Close synonyms include expression, recipe, chemical formula, convention, normal. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is formula a common word?

formula is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.