FORMULATE

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does formulate mean? 

• FORMULATE (verb)
  The verb FORMULATE has 4 senses:

1. elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses

2. come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort

3. put into words or an expression

4. prepare according to a formula

  Familiarity information: FORMULATE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FORMULATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they formulate    ... he / she / it formulates   
Past simple: formulated   
Past participle: formulated   
-ing form: formulating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

develop; explicate; formulate

Context example:

Could you develop the ideas in your thesis

Hypernyms (to "formulate" is one way to...):

conjecture; hypothecate; hypothesise; hypothesize; speculate; suppose; theorise; theorize (to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds)

Verb group:

develop (elaborate by the unfolding of a musical idea and by the working out of the rhythmic and harmonic changes in the theme)

acquire; develop; evolve (gain through experience)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "formulate"):

mature (develop and work out fully in one's mind)

redevelop; reformulate (formulate or develop again, of an improved theory or hypothesis)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

formulation (inventing or contriving an idea or explanation and formulating it mentally)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

contrive; devise; excogitate; forge; formulate; invent

Context example:

excogitate a way to measure the speed of light

Hypernyms (to "formulate" is one way to...):

create by mental act; create mentally (create mentally and abstractly rather than with one's hands)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Did he formulate his major works over a short period of time?

Derivation:

formula (a conventionalized statement expressing some fundamental principle)

formulation (inventing or contriving an idea or explanation and formulating it mentally)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Put into words or an expression

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

articulate; formulate; give voice; phrase; word

Context example:

He formulated his concerns to the board of trustees

Hypernyms (to "formulate" is one way to...):

evince; express; show (give expression to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "formulate"):

ask (direct or put; seek an answer to)

lexicalise; lexicalize (make or coin into a word or accept a new word into the lexicon of a language)

dogmatise; dogmatize (state as a dogma)

formularise; formularize (express as a formula)

cast; couch; frame; put; redact (formulate in a particular style or language)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

formulation (inventing or contriving an idea or explanation and formulating it mentally)

formulation (the style of expressing yourself)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Prepare according to a formula

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "formulate" is one way to...):

create from raw material; create from raw stuff (make from scratch)

Domain category:

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

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

formula (directions for making something)

formulation (a substance prepared according to a formula)

 Context examples 

A liquid or gel containing nutrients, salts, and other factors formulated to support the growth of microorganisms, cells, or plants.

(Growth Medium, NCI Thesaurus)

The process of formulating general concepts by abstracting common properties of instances; reasoning from detailed facts to general principles.

(Generalization, NCI Thesaurus)

A tooth restorative material that is formulated to create a loose, free-flowing mix.

(Flowable Composite, NCI Thesaurus)

A specially formulated and shaped non-encapsulated solid preparation intended to be placed into a non-rectal orifice of the body, where drug is released, generally for localized effects.

(Insert Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A formulated therapeutic analog of the endogenous alpha interferon containing multiple interferon species with antiviral and antitumor properties.

(Interferon Alfa-N3, NCI Thesaurus)

This vaccine contains a peptide sequence homologous to the native epitope and is often formulated with an adjuvant such as QS-21 or Montanide ISA-51 to boost its immune stimulation.

(Peptide 946 Melanoma Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

An herbal preparation containing a defined quantity of specific cannabinoids formulated for oromucosal spray administration with potential analgesic activity.

(Nabiximols, NCI Thesaurus)

He did not formulate the law in clear, set terms and moralise about it.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

A transmucosal formulation consisting of a small, mucoadhesive, bioerodible polymer disc formulated with the citrate salt of fentanyl, a synthetic anilidopiperidine opioid with analgesic activity.

(Fentanyl Buccal Soluble Film, NCI Thesaurus)

Usually, antiinfective preparations are formulated sterile.

(Anti-Infective Preparation, NCI Thesaurus)